Jackson Hewitt vs. H&R Block
When you walk in the doors of both tax offices you are often checked in by a receptionist and are asked to have a seat. At H&R Block many times you are given paperwork to look over and told your preparer will come and get you whenever they are ready and given a estimated wait time. Now Jackson Hewitt really sets the standard with this one, after you are greeted and seated the receptionist will offer you a beverage, coffee, soft drink, or bottled water as well as point any children in the direction of the kids corner which features always running family friendly movies, toys, and coloring books with enough crayons and paper to keep them entertained your entire visit.
Next, your preparer will come and take you back to their desk. As you sit down take notice and look and see if you can see other clients paperwork or sensitive information in plain view. If you can, this is a good time to walk away. Both companies have policies in place that are designed to protect your privacy and when the preparer has left others paperwork out, chances are they will do it with yours as well. This can cause many problems including lost documents as well as a opportunity for identity theft.
Your preparer should then begin to introduce themselves to you at that point as well as give you a general synopsis on thier experience as well as what to expect during the tax interview. At H&R Block tax preparers are trained to never let the client know if they are first year preparers. A good sign of a first year preparer is the unwillingness to divulge how long they have been with H&R Block. You may hear a vague ” I have been doing taxes for awhile”. At Jackson Hewiit the preparers will be upfront and honest and let you know exactly how long they have been there as well as if they are brand new. Keep in mind that both companies have a very lengthy and extensive training program, which generally lasts 3 months. The brand new preparers should show and express confidence in preparing your return.
The interview should begin at this point and your preparer will look over your documents and ask questions as they input your information. The software that the two companies use is very different. H&R Block uses a form based software called TPS and Jackson Hewitt uses a interview based software called Profiler. It is important to ask that they turn the screen so that you can see what it being input, and to point out any errors you may see with the spelling of your name or mistakes in typing in date of birth or social security numbers. Most preparers will not mind you pointing out a data entry error as it will save them work later on if the return gets rejected by the IRS. I have found that Jackson Hewitt preparers tend to ask more questions to dig for deeper deuctions as well as more refundable credits that you may be elilgible for. H&R Block seems to only go by the documents that you hand them and asks limited questions.
As you are wrapping up your interview they will show you the result in your refund or the amount you owe. If you have a refund both companies will go over the options for getting your money back as well as what your fees will be. Many times there are bank loans that can help you receive your money quicker. The fees for bank products are significantly higher and you must be approved by the bank in order to qualify which can take 24 hours. H&R Block also offers Individual Retirement Accounts to clients with the ability to fund a IRA with the proceeds with your refund. I have found them to be very pushy when offering this service. The tax preparers are given a goal amount of how many IRA’s they must open and often times have limited knowledge on this product. Jackson Hewitt does not have this service. Both companies offer a extended service plan. Jackson Hewitt has Gold Guarantee which covers the return for 3 years from the date it is filed. It covers interest,penalties and taxes owed due to preparer error. H&R Block offers a similar service called Peace Of Mind. This is another service that H&R Block pushes far more than Jackson Hewitt.
You will then sign paperwork and receive your copies of your tax return as well as told a timeline for your refund or when you must mail your balance due in. Jackson Hewitt and H&R Block will both give you envelopes with the mailing address for your payment for any balance due however Jackson Hewitt makes sure that they give you a stamped envelope as a way of thanking you for your business. Your preparer will also walk you back out to the waiting room and send you off with a invitation to return next year.
Both companies have offices located all across the country and service may vary from office to office. These experiences I shared are based off of the offices in the Alton, Illinois area.
