H&R Block customers faced outages ahead of tax day deadline

Some H&R Block customers dealt with hours of outages ahead of the tax day deadline on Monday night, the tax filing service confirmed on social media.

In a post on the social platform X around 11:15 a.m. EDT Monday, H&R Block said an issue prevented some desktop software users from e-filing their returns. “Online clients” and those working with a professional virtually or in person were not impacted, the company said.

Shortly after 3:45 p.m. EDT, H&R Block said the issue was resolved.

“We are happy to report the issue that was affecting a small number of our downloadable desktop software users has been resolved,” the company wrote on X.

Data from Downdetector, which uses self-reports of service disruptions, shows the apparent outages began around 9 p.m. EDT on Sunday and rose throughout the night, before falling Monday morning. Starting around 6 a.m., the outages began to climb back up. At its peak around noon EDT, nearly 1,700 outages were reported before the number began to drop around 3:20 p.m., Downdetector reported.

A spokesperson for H&R Block confirmed to The Hill the issue was resolved and that clients were notified they can move forward with e-filing. The spokesperson noted the “vast majority” of those who file with the company use their online edition, which was operational all day.

Numerous customers on social media said they had multiple filing charges, and H&R Block tried to reassurance customers all “pending charges” would be dropped.

Most Americans have until 11:59 p.m. in their local time zone on Monday to file their taxes without receiving a late fee.

The Internal Revenue Service received an $80 billion funding boost, which has been used to increase the agency’s digital capabilities, including a new online tax filing tool that rivals services like H&R Block.

Residents of Maine and Massachusetts have until Wednesday, April 17, to file their taxes due to state holidays. Those seeking an extension on the filing deadline can fill out a Form 4868 to get until Oct. 15 to send in their 2023 returns, and Americans living abroad may be able to extend further.