H&R Block Tax Identity Shield Cost
H&R Block offers free audit support, but you can also purchase a product called Worry-Free Audit Support. This will put you in touch with a registered agent who will guide you through an audit. It includes IRS correspondence management, audit preparation, and personal audit representation and costs $19.99. About H&R Block H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) is a global provider of consumer tax services. Tax filing services are provided by professional tax advisors at approximately 12,000 corporate-owned and franchised retail tax offices worldwide, as well as through H&R Block tax software for DIY consumers. H&R Block also offers adjacent Tax Plus products and services. In fiscal 2016, H&R Block generated annual sales of more than $3 billion with 23.2 million tax returns worldwide. For more information, visit the H&R Block newsroom in newsroom.hrblock.com/. Online Assist is an additional service that can be added to any of H&R Block`s tax preparation plans. It costs $40 for both free and deluxe plans and adds $60 to the price of premium and independent plans.
Virtual help from a living human is available through Online Assist for an additional $60. The additional Tax Identity Shield ($20) and Worry-Free Verification Support ($20) services are also available at the same cost as other plans. Online Assist is an additional service that can be added to any of H&R Block`s tax preparation plans. It costs $40 for both free and deluxe plans and adds $60 to the price of premium and independent plans. Last year, H&R Block offered its customers something new: Tax Identity Shield ®. This is a response to the growing problem of tax identity theft. In 2013, approximately 2.4 million taxpayers were identified as victims of tax identity theft. During the 2013 tax season, the IRS estimated that more than $5.8 billion in refunds were paid to fraudsters. Anyone who is not on high alert to protect their identity is either in mass denial or a fatalist.
The Anthem data breach has exposed an estimated 80 million consumers to the risk of identity theft, states are seeing an increase in fraudsters using stolen identities to deposit income tax refund checks, and new hacks appear to be being discovered every week. This has made identity theft protection a booming industry, bringing new products to market and optimizing existing ones to help and take advantage of fear. The Tax Identity Shield ® is another layer of protection that helps H&R Block customers better protect their tax identity. Many clients became members of the Tax Privacy Shield® in 2015, and since this is a new offering, we wanted to help answer some of our clients` questions and misconceptions. Tax Identity Care is an exclusive addition to H&R Block DIY customers this tax season and can be added via online products and downloadable software on hrblock.com. Tax Identity Care offers two main features to better protect customers from the productive increase in tax identity theft in the United States. H&R Block`s Tax Pro exam offers a personal review of your completed tax return with a human tax professional who reviews your documents and verifies the accuracy and any missed deductions or credits; If you wish, the tax professional will also sign your tax return for you and file it electronically. The cost ranges from $49.99 to $89.99, and verification usually takes place within three days.
“Taxpayers need to be confident that they are filing an accurate tax return that will provide them with their maximum refund, and they will have access to tools that can help better protect their tax identity,” said Mark Ciaramitaro, H&R Block`s vice president of products and services. “H&R Block products not only include features that help better protect customers` tax identity, but also offer options to restore tax identity in the unlikely event of tax identity fraud.” Free personal audit support is offered with all H&R bulk tax plans, and “worry-free audit support,” including IRS communications and personal audit representation, can be added to any plan for $20. H&R Block`s Online Assist feature – additional virtual support with live assistance and screen sharing – can also be purchased in addition to one of the plans for an additional $40 for Basic or Deluxe or $60 for Premium or Self-employed. Tax ID Shield – proactive protection against tax identity theft – can be added to any plan for an additional $20. KANSAS CITY, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week, which runs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3, educates consumers to protect themselves and recover from these crimes. H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) has the industry`s only tax preparation products to better protect clients` tax identities and help them in case someone files a fraudulent tax return with their information. These H&R Block products are Tax Identity Care for DIY clients and Tax Identity Shield for clients who work with a tax advisor in a retail tax office.
Don`t let a thief get in the way of your refund. If your tax identity is stolen, your refund could be compromised. With H&R Block, we offer comprehensive year-round protection and recovery against tax identity theft. Access to credit references and identity verification – Get one year of access to your credit report from three offices, plus help set up identity monitoring and fraud alerts. H&R Block also offers downloadable and CD versions of its software, which in turn are divided into four service levels with similar limitations. The main differences between the downloaded software and the online service are the cost and the absence of a free government tax return at the lowest level. All a thief needs to file a fraudulent declaration is your name, date of birth, and Social Security number. If you are a victim of tax theft, it can take several months or even years to get your refund.
It can take several months or even years to resolve the issue, resulting in significant delays in receiving your tax refund or filing your tax return. You may need to prove that the declaration is fraudulent and that the income documents are falsified. In addition, your data may be exposed to other forms of identity theft. H&R Block does not issue identity protection (IP) PINs. Only the IRS can do that. As a Tax Privacy Shield member®, you can get help from H&R Block representatives to obtain an IP PIN or other identity theft protection available from the IRS. If you need help requesting an IP PIN (or other IRS protections), you can call the unique phone number provided to Tax Shield customers®. One of our representatives will ask you questions to determine what additional IRS protections you may be eligible for and guide you through the investigation process. IRS Protection – If we discover signs of identity theft, we`ll help you request proactive IRS protections such as an IRS IP PIN For more information, see the disclaimer.96 The cost of virtual professional help, including screen sharing via Online Assist, can be as high as $60 for the Premium plan. Worry-Free Audit Support and Tax Identity Shield services are still available for $20 each. H&R Block Tax Identity Shield® For more information, see Disclaimer97 protects you from tax identity theft, and if you`re ever a victim of tax identity theft, we`re here to help.
Tax Identity Shield includes: Nevertheless, the free version is one of the best on the market, the interface is simple and easy to use, and the help of an on-screen human is available at an additional cost. Identity theft is pervasive and occurs in different ways and places. H&R Block can`t prevent identity theft, but we can give you some helpful tips on how to protect your data from potential thieves. It`s best to protect yourself and your information in different ways. Tax ID Agent® is specifically designed to help you better protect your tax identity. We have additional recommendations on how to protect your data. With Tax Identity Shield, H&R Block has partnered with Equifax to provide clients with access to tools that will help them understand their potential risk of tax identity theft. For the one-time fee of $30, Tax Identity Shield offers H&R Block customers the following features: Tax identity theft, sometimes called tax fraud, occurs when a thief uses your information to file a fraudulent tax return in order to steal money from the IRS. All a thief needs to file a fraudulent tax return is your name, date of birth, and Social Security number, which is why tax identity management and protection from tax evasion are so important. “Some taxpayers have certain circumstances that make them more vulnerable and, as a security measure, Tax Identity Care or the Tax Identity Shield could help them if needed.