Head to head, tax year 2025 prices
TurboTax vs H&R Block: which costs less to file online?
For a simple return the two are even: both have a free plan that covers federal and one state (TurboTax says roughly 37% of taxpayers qualify, H&R Block says approximately 52%). The gap opens as soon as your return is not simple. A freelancer filing federal plus one state pays $203 at TurboTax (Do It Yourself Premium) against $179 at H&R Block (Self-Employed), and each paid state return is $64 at TurboTax against $49 at H&R Block. H&R Block also includes unlimited expert help in its paid plans, where TurboTax sells it as a separate, pricier Expert Assist tier. These are tax year 2025 prices read on each vendor's own site.
| Measure |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes. Simple Form 1040 returns only: W-2 pay, a small amount of interest or dividends, the standard deduction, the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits, student loan interest, the new tips, overtime, car loan interest and seniors deductions, and taxable retirement distributions. Intuit says roughly 37% of taxpayers qualify. | Yes. Simple Form 1040 returns: W-2 pay, up to $1,500 of interest and dividends, unemployment income, the standard deduction, the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits, student loan interest and taxable retirement distributions. H&R Block says approximately 52% of filers qualify. |
| Cheapest paid federal | From $79 | From $65 |
| State returns | $64 per state on the do-it-yourself plans, $59 to $69 with Expert Assist. A state return is $0 only if you qualify for the free federal return. | Free with Free Online. $49 per state on Deluxe, Premium and Self-Employed. |
| Employee with a simple W-2 return, federal + 1 state | $0 (Free Edition) | $0 (Free Online) |
| Freelancer (Schedule C), federal + 1 state | $203 (Do It Yourself Premium) | $179 (Self-Employed) |
| Expert help | Expert Assist Basic from $59; Expert Assist Deluxe from $129; Expert Assist Premium from $209; Expert Full Service | Unlimited expert help and AI Tax Assist (included); Tax Pro Review from $65 |
| Audit support | Every return comes with informational audit support: if you get an audit letter, a tax professional answers your questions. They will not represent you before the IRS. Full audit representation is a separate paid add-on (Audit Defense, run by a third party) whose price we could not find on the pages we read. | Every online return gets an Audit Support Guarantee: if you get a tax notice, H&R Block helps you understand it and what to do, at no charge. It does not include representation. Worry-Free Audit Support is a separate paid add-on where an enrolled agent can handle notices and represent you; we could not find its price, and it does not reimburse taxes, penalties or interest. |
| Paying from your refund | Paying for TurboTax out of your refund: "a $40 service fee may apply". A refund up to 5 days early into your own bank account costs a fee (amount not stated) and is free into a Credit Karma Money account. TurboTax Refund Advance, a 0% loan, ended for this season. TurboTax also offers a loan to pay a tax bill (File Now, Pay Later, variable APR 15% to 33%); the offer was stated to expire October 16, 2026. | Paying H&R Block out of your refund (Refund Transfer) costs a $42 fee on top of the prep fees; it is a bank deposit account, not a loan. The 0% Refund Advance loan is not available in the online product, and the Emerald Advance loan (35.9% APR) is offered in offices only. |
| Mobile app | Yes. The free TurboTax app: take a photo of your documents to fill in the return. | Yes. The H&R Block Tax Prep app, plus a separate MyBlock app to store documents and chat with a tax professional. |
| IRS Free File partner | No. Intuit left the IRS Free File program in 2021. TurboTax Free Edition is Intuit's own product, not IRS Free File. | No. H&R Block is not on the IRS's list of Free File partners. |
Tax year 2025 prices, for returns filed in 2026, read on each vendor's own site (latest check October 14, 2026). New-season prices are posted around December or January. “From” prices are the lowest paid federal plan. Extras such as expert help, audit protection and refund fees are not in the totals.
Choose TurboTax if…
- You like the most polished, best-known software and are willing to pay for it
- You want the choice of an expert doing the whole return (Expert Full Service) or advising you while you file (Expert Assist)
- Your return is simple and you will stay on the free plan
Choose H&R Block if…
- You are a freelancer, investor or itemizer and want the lower all-in price
- You want unlimited expert help included in a paid plan instead of a separate tier
- Your return includes unemployment income, which the free plan at H&R Block covers
Good to know before you file
TurboTax
- Free Edition is for simple Form 1040 returns only. Intuit says roughly 37% of taxpayers qualify, and itemizing, unemployment income, freelance income, stock or crypto sales or rental income move you to a paid plan. You can start free and be asked to upgrade after you have entered your information.
- Paid plan prices carry an asterisk: TurboTax says the actual price is set by the version you use and the date you print or e-file, and is subject to change without notice.
- State returns are priced per state on top of the federal price: $64 on the do-it-yourself plans, $59 to $69 with Expert Assist.
H&R Block
- Free Online is for simple returns only. H&R Block says approximately 52% of filers qualify. Itemizing, freelance income, rental income, stock or crypto sales or an HSA need a paid plan.
- The paid plans charge $49 for each state on top of the federal price. Only Free Online has a $0 state return.
- Unlimited expert help comes with Deluxe, Premium and Self-Employed, but not Free Online. Having a tax professional review, sign and file your return costs extra: $75 on Free Online, $65 on Deluxe and $95 on Premium and Self-Employed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TurboTax or H&R Block cheaper?
For a freelancer filing federal plus one state, H&R Block is cheaper at $179 against $203 at TurboTax, at the tax year 2025 prices. For a simple return both can be $0.
Which free plan covers more people?
H&R Block says approximately 52% of filers qualify for Free Online and TurboTax says roughly 37% qualify for Free Edition. Free Online also covers unemployment income, which TurboTax's Free Edition does not.
Do either of them charge to pay from my refund?
Yes. TurboTax says a $40 service fee may apply when you pay out of your refund, and H&R Block charges a $42 Refund Transfer fee.
Have either faced regulators over "free" advertising?
Yes. In 2022 Intuit, TurboTax's maker, agreed with all 50 states and D.C. to pay $141 million over its free-filing marketing, and the FTC finalized a $7 million order against H&R Block in January 2025. An FTC order against Intuit was vacated by a federal appeals court in March 2026 on how the case was brought.
See every option side by side in our best tax software comparison, or check who files free.