The H&R Block site and mobile apps include extensive built-in guidance. Most help content is available in a vertical pane on the desktop. This makes it easily accessible without obscuring any part of the Q&A sections.
For the most part, H&R Block’s language is simple and understandable, with minimal suggestions to visit IRS instructions, which is optimal. After all, one of the main reasons for using tax software is to avoid dealing with IRS instructions (though in rare cases, it might still be necessary).
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H&R Block introduces its content on many pages with an expanded explanation of the current tax topic. Hyperlinks in the text open related explanations in the help pane, which displays the three help types (the old Search, Ask AI, and Agent).
AI Tax Assist (Ask AI) leans on Microsoft Azure, OpenAI, and the Tax Institute of H&R Block. It converses with you, much like any other chatbot. It worked fine in testing and provided answers quickly.
Search and Ask AI work differently. The Search tool might return numerous hits, variations on the questions you asked, as well as occasional unrelated ones. It sometimes provides links to related sections. Ask AI is always on topic, and it often suggests a related question after its initial response. It doesn’t offer direct links to the current tax topic but rather lists step-by-step instructions—at least, that’s what I saw. Both can be helpful for different types of questions. I asked what the difference was between short-term and long-term capital gains. Ask AI got right to the point and supplied a definition, whereas Search didn’t really address it head-on. Neither could tell me how to report a gift of cryptocurrency.
I’m disappointed that the help pane no longer provides context-sensitive help automatically. The pane’s content used to change whenever you advanced to a page with contextual guidance. This stopped when the company introduced the three-tier help pane.
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Taxpayers can connect with both tax professionals and product support staff via chat. Expert help is free with all of H&R Block’s paid products. Most competitors charge for consultations with tax experts, making this a significant advantage.
