TurboTax vs H&R Block (2026): Cheaper, Slicker, or an Office Down the Road?

Both file the same IRS forms with the same math. H&R Block wins on price and in-person access; TurboTax wins on polish and imports.

TurboTax

Best for: Heavy investors, returning TurboTax users, anyone who wants the slickest DIY filing

Best-in-class interview and imports. You'll pay a premium and dodge upsells the whole way through.

Price: ~$0-$129 federal + ~$25-$40/state (seasonal)

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H&R Block

Best for: Value-conscious filers, anyone who wants in-person help as a backup, broader free coverage

Usually cheaper, broader free tier, and 8,700 offices if you'd rather sit across from a human.

Price: ~$0-$85 federal + ~$20-$37/state (seasonal)

Try H&R Block →

Quick verdict

TurboTax and H&R Block are the two biggest names in DIY tax software, and they file the exact same returns using the exact same IRS forms. The refund or balance due is identical. What you’re choosing between is price, the quality of the question-and-answer interview, and whether you can walk into a physical office when things get hairy.

Pick H&R Block if you want to spend less, you want a genuinely useful free tier, or you like knowing there’s a brick-and-mortar office down the road where a human will finish your return if you give up. It is, in most situations, the cheaper of the two.

Pick TurboTax if you want the smoothest DIY experience money can buy — the best onboarding interview, the most comprehensive W-2 and brokerage imports, and the most polished mobile app — and you’re willing to pay a premium and click past a lot of upsell screens to get it.

For most simple-to-moderate returns, H&R Block does the same job for less money. TurboTax earns its premium mainly for heavy investors and people who genuinely value the hand-holding.

And if your only goal is paying as little as possible: neither is the cheapest. That’s FreeTaxUSA, which files federal for $0 and state for under $15 regardless of complexity. More on that below.

Pricing — is H&R Block cheaper than TurboTax?

Short answer: yes, almost always.

Both companies price the same way — a “free” tier for the simplest returns, then Deluxe / Premium / Self-Employed tiers that unlock as your situation gets more complex, plus a per-state fee on top of the federal price. The difference is that H&R Block consistently undercuts TurboTax at every paid tier.

Important caveat: tax-software pricing changes every year and climbs as the April deadline approaches. Early-season prices are the lowest you’ll see; expect $20-$40 more per tier in late March and April. Treat the numbers below as ballpark figures and check current pricing before you file.

Tier (roughly equivalent)	TurboTax federal	H&R Block federal	Cheaper
Free (simple W-2 only)	$0	$0	Tie (H&R Block covers more)
Deluxe (itemising, common deductions)	~$69	~$35	H&R Block
Premium / Premier (investments, rental)	~$115-$129	~$60+	H&R Block
Self-Employed (Schedule C)	~$129	~$85	H&R Block
Per state return	~$25-$40	~$20-$37	H&R Block

A homeowner who itemises and has a brokerage account: H&R Block Premium plus one state lands somewhere around $80-$100 all-in; the comparable TurboTax Premium plus one state is closer to $140-$170. That’s a real $50-$80 gap for the same return.

A self-employed filer with one state: H&R Block runs roughly $105-$125; TurboTax Self-Employed runs roughly $155-$190. Again, H&R Block is the cheaper seat for identical math.

The gap narrows or disappears only if you add live expert help, where the two converge — but on the base software, H&R Block is the value pick.

The free tiers — and the asterisk

This is where both companies have earned their reputations, and where you need to read carefully.

H&R Block Free Online covers a simple Form 1040 and a wider set of situations than TurboTax’s free tier — it accepts more forms and credits at $0, including things like the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, student loan interest, and certain retirement distributions. Roughly 52% of filers qualify. It does not cover self-employment (1099/Schedule C), itemised deductions, or investment income.

TurboTax Free Edition covers simple Form 1040 returns only, and roughly 37% of filers actually qualify. The moment you have a 1099, freelance income, itemised deductions, or investment sales, you’re bumped to a paid tier.

The honest framing: H&R Block’s free tier is broader, so more people genuinely file for free. Both companies, but TurboTax in particular, advertise “free” aggressively while a majority of filers don’t qualify. In January 2024 the FTC ruled that Intuit’s “free” TurboTax advertising was deceptive — the agency found that roughly two-thirds of filers didn’t qualify for the free product — and barred Intuit from marketing anything as free unless it’s free for everyone or it clearly discloses what share of people actually qualify. That history is worth keeping in mind when you see the word “free” on either site.

In-person help — TurboTax can’t match this

This is the single biggest structural difference between the two.

H&R Block has roughly 8,700 retail offices across the US. You can file online and tap remote expert help, or you can physically walk into an office, hand your documents to a tax pro, and have them prepare the whole thing. You can also start online and bump it to in-person if you get stuck. For people who want a human across a desk — older filers, anyone with a messy paper-heavy year, anyone who simply doesn’t trust software — this is decisive.

TurboTax has no offices. All of its “expert” help is remote. Its premium service, TurboTax Live Full Service, connects you with a tax expert who prepares your return remotely (typically a few hundred dollars), and TurboTax Live Assisted adds on-demand remote expert help to any DIY tier. It’s good, but it’s a video call and screen-share, not a face-to-face appointment.

If “I want to be able to sit down with someone if this goes sideways” is on your list, H&R Block wins by default — TurboTax literally cannot offer it.

UX and the interview

TurboTax wins. Its guided interview is the best in the category. It asks plain-English questions (“Did you sell any stocks in 2025?”), handles the form and schedule mechanics invisibly, and walks you through deductions and credits you might miss. The mobile app is the most polished of any tax product.

H&R Block is close, and improving. Its interview is clean, clear, and genuinely good — not as silky as TurboTax’s, but most filers won’t feel shortchanged. Where TurboTax pulls ahead is the cumulative polish: fewer dead ends, better explanations on edge cases, a nicer app.

The catch with TurboTax: the slick interview is interrupted constantly by upsell prompts — upgrade to a higher tier, add audit defense, add expert review, pay to deduct your fee from your refund. H&R Block upsells too, but less relentlessly. You pay for TurboTax’s polish partly in dollars and partly in patience.

Imports and integrations

TurboTax wins, especially for investors. It has the broadest W-2 import (including photo capture from major employers) and the deepest brokerage integrations — Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, Robinhood, Coinbase and many more import directly. If you’ve got hundreds of stock trades, TurboTax can save you hours of manual entry, and that convenience alone can justify its premium.

H&R Block imports well too — W-2 photo/import, prior-year return import (including importing from TurboTax, a nice switching feature), and a solid list of brokerage connections — just a slightly shorter list than TurboTax’s. For a W-2 filer with one or two 1099s, the difference is a few minutes of typing. For an active investor with a thick 1099-B, TurboTax’s edge is real.

Forms and situations covered

Parity at the paid tiers. Both handle W-2, the full 1099 family (NEC, MISC, INT, DIV, B, R, K), Schedules A, B, C, D, E and F, rental income, self-employment, capital gains, foreign income, and the rest. There’s no mainstream US filing situation one supports and the other doesn’t.

The differences are about which tier unlocks a given form (and what it costs), not whether the software can handle it.

Audit support

Both sell audit assistance, generally bundled into higher tiers or as a paid add-on. In both cases “audit support” means they’ll help you understand an IRS letter and guide your response — not that they’ll represent you in an audit. Actual representation means hiring an enrolled agent or CPA.

H&R Block has a structural edge here too: because it has offices and year-round staff, you can physically take an IRS letter into a branch. TurboTax’s audit support is remote. For most filers, audit risk is low enough that this is theoretical — but it’s another point where H&R Block’s physical footprint matters.

Pros and cons

TurboTax

H&R Block

Which should you pick? By filer type

Simple W-2 filer. Both free tiers may cover you, but H&R Block Free covers more situations, so check it first. If you don’t qualify for free, H&R Block’s paid tiers are cheaper. Honestly, though — a simple W-2 return is exactly where FreeTaxUSA ($0 federal, ~$15 state) makes the most sense.

Itemizer / homeowner. You’ll land on Deluxe at either. H&R Block Deluxe ($35) is roughly half the price of TurboTax Deluxe ($69) for the same itemised return. H&R Block.

Self-employed / gig worker. Both have a Self-Employed tier. H&R Block ($85) undercuts TurboTax ($129). TurboTax’s expense-finding interview is slightly slicker, but not $44 slicker for most people. H&R Block on value; TurboTax only if you want the smoothest possible expense walkthrough.

Investor with lots of trades. This is TurboTax’s strongest case. Its brokerage auto-imports are the best in the business, and if you’ve got a thick 1099-B, the hours saved can justify the higher Premium price. TurboTax if your portfolio is busy; H&R Block if it’s a handful of positions.

Anyone who wants in-person help. No contest. TurboTax has no offices. H&R Block, with ~8,700 of them, and the ability to start online and finish in a chair.

Anyone who just wants to spend the least. Neither — see below.

The budget alternative both of these lose to

If your decision is mostly about money, the honest answer is that the real value pick is neither TurboTax nor H&R Block — it’s FreeTaxUSA, which files federal for $0 regardless of complexity (self-employment, investments, rental, the lot) and charges under $15 per state. Same IRS forms, same math, a fraction of the price.

What you give up is polish and the in-person option. FreeTaxUSA’s interview is functional, not slick, and there’s no office to walk into. But for a returning filer who knows their situation, it’s the cheapest legitimate way to file a complex return. We break the trade-offs down in full in our FreeTaxUSA vs TurboTax comparison.

So the full ladder looks like this: FreeTaxUSA for pure savings, H&R Block for the best balance of price and support (including offices), TurboTax when you want the slickest experience or the deepest imports and you’re willing to pay for them.

Frequently asked questions

Is H&R Block cheaper than TurboTax? +

Yes, in almost every case. At equivalent paid tiers H&R Block runs roughly $35-$85 federal versus TurboTax's ~$69-$129, and H&R Block's per-state fee is lower too. The gap closes only when you add live expert help. Note that both raise prices as the April deadline nears, so check current pricing.

Is TurboTax or H&R Block better for self-employed taxes? +

Both have a Self-Employed tier covering Schedule C, expenses and depreciation. TurboTax's expense-finding interview is slightly smoother; H&R Block is meaningfully cheaper (~$85 vs ~$129). For most gig workers and freelancers, H&R Block is the better value. For pure cost, FreeTaxUSA handles Schedule C for $0 federal.

Does TurboTax have physical offices like H&R Block? +

No. TurboTax is entirely online — its expert help (TurboTax Live Assisted and Full Service) is remote. H&R Block has roughly 8,700 retail offices where you can file in person or get face-to-face help. If sitting down with a human matters to you, H&R Block is the only choice of the two.

Which has the better free tier, TurboTax or H&R Block? +

H&R Block. Its Free Online tier covers more forms and situations than TurboTax Free Edition, so more filers genuinely qualify (~52% vs ~37%). Both cover simple Form 1040 returns; neither free tier covers self-employment or investment income.

Why did the FTC go after TurboTax over 'free' filing? +

In January 2024 the FTC ruled that Intuit's 'free' TurboTax advertising was deceptive because roughly two-thirds of filers didn't actually qualify for the free product. The order bars Intuit from advertising anything as free unless it's free for everyone or it clearly discloses what percentage of people qualify.

Can I switch from TurboTax to H&R Block? +

Yes. H&R Block can import your prior-year return directly from TurboTax, which carries over your personal info and many figures so you don't start from scratch. It's a deliberate switching feature.

Is there a cheaper option than both? +

Yes — FreeTaxUSA files federal for $0 regardless of complexity and charges under $15 per state, using the same IRS forms. You give up some interface polish and the in-person option, but for cost-conscious returning filers it's the best value. See our FreeTaxUSA vs TurboTax comparison.

Final recommendation

For most people, H&R Block is the better default: it’s cheaper at every paid tier, its free tier covers more situations, and it’s the only one of the two where you can walk into an office and have a human finish the job. That combination of value plus a physical safety net wins for the typical filer.

Choose TurboTax when you specifically want the slickest DIY experience or you’re an active investor who’ll lean hard on its best-in-class brokerage imports — and you’ve accepted you’ll pay a premium and click past a lot of upsells to get there. It’s a genuinely excellent product; it’s just the expensive one.

And if cost is your main lever, skip both and use FreeTaxUSA — same forms, same refund, a fraction of the price.