TurboTax and H&R Block At Home both offer options for software support:
- Free software support via phone and chat (TurboTax has email support as well).
- Tax topic videos in the software.
- Searchable support web sites.
TurboTax Support
Support accessed from within the software is nicely organized with easy-to-find help options. The support web site is very easy to navigate, with six support topics and well-organized subtopics for using TurboTax and income tax preparation. There is a search box at the top of the TurboTax Support page, and every search I tried brought up relevant answers. TurboTax customers can also ask a question in TurboTax Live Community, and clicking on Contact Us gives the options to get help via chat or phone, after offering help via online resources. The Ask a Tax Expert service is also available here.
H&R Block At Home Support
If you need help with this tax software, you won't find much on the support web page, but the Personal Answer Center, accessed from within the software, is neatly designed and easy to get around in. The support web page only offers help for a few common issues, most of which do not involved actually using the software. A general customer support phone number is listed on this page, but the Personal Answer Center provides a software support phone number, access to support chat and a way to contact tax professionals to get answers to tax questions (fees may apply).
Income Tax Questions
TurboTax Ask a Tax Expert offers federal and state tax help by phone from tax professionals within an hour of submitting a question online. Ask a Tax Expert costs $29.95 for 20 minutes. Tax professionals also answer many questions in TurboTax Live Community for free.
H&R Block At Home Ask a Tax Advisor provides access by phone or email to tax professionals to answer federal or state income tax questions for $19.95 per question after one free question. Or, ask a tax question for free in the Get It Right Community.
