H&R Block

I really had a bad experience with this branch, and won’t use the tax professional’s name here. I went in for my scheduled tax prep meeting, and the tax software crashed while I was on site. I sat there while the tax pro was on hold with IT support for 30 minutes, and ultimately didn’t get the issue resolved. I had to leave without my taxes being completed, and scheduled a follow up appointment (0 for 1). When I returned for my scheduled follow-​up, the tax professional that I was supposed to meet with was in another meeting and unable to meet with me to complete my taxes. I had to leave – again (0 for 2). Because my work schedule prevented me from coming in person a third time, I then made a plan with the «tax pro» to finish up virtually/​online. Only after doing so did I learn that they can send/​receive certain critical documents ONLY via fax, not email. Because it is the 21^st century, I do not have consistent access to a fax machine, and had to figure out a workaround (0 for 3). Throughout, my representative was unresponsive in getting the right documents to me to help resolve these issues, at one point telling me he simply overlooked an urgent email that I sent him, until I called him later to reiterate the same request (0 for 4). This was the week of April 6^th so I realize it was ‘crunch time’ and they were busy, but this was a huge headache. Overall, pretty poor show.

I didn’t go in for tax preparation but at the end of the year for some advice on money management and my likely tax burden. I made an appointment for Saturday morning and ended up sitting down with one of the office managers. He was very knowledgible and provided sound advice, then didn’t charge me a dime! I was so impressed that I made an appointment down the line to have them do my taxes. Treating people right is always good for business.

I highly recommend Howard Silver at this branch of H&R Block if you’re looking for help with tax preparation.
I have always done my own taxes using online products, but this year I had an unexpected complication due to an investment, which the online program does not handle, so I made an appt at this office downtown. Howard was able to handle the problem without a hitch. It’s obvious that he has many years of experience, he is extremely competent, professional, helpful and friendly. Of course you have to pay the fee, but the peace of mind knowing that your taxes are done right is well worth it.
As a side note, the office is located on the second floor of a mini-​mall inside 203 N. LaSalle, above the car rental office, you can enter off LaSalle or Clark.