I decided to run my tax returns thru AI to check for errors. It found 2 major errors and several caution errors, which greatly impacted my returns. It even provided methods on correcting the mistakes, advised me to file an addendum before paying anything H & R Block said I would owe--it's greatly less! It also urged me to seek a tax pro to help me with these corrections. read more

H&R Block - H & R tax invoice - Tax Services Near Me - Oakland, California

Very professional and helpful,we asked a lot of important questions, our agent was very helpful , we were done in less than hour. Will be back next year... read more

This is my first time coming to this location. I booked online for a Saturday morning appointment. I arrived and Lisa greeted me. Introduced myself and she said she was my Tax Preparer. She called me over in which I took a seat, handed my forms ans she went to town. She throughly explained the steps, the numbers, totals and overall I was impressed by her knowledge. Lisa is amazing and truly is an asset to the H and ar Block family. read more

TLDR; The woman who works the front desk at this office is unreliable, unprofessional, and passive aggressive. I made an appointment online for this store for a Saturday for 3pm. The day of, someone from the office (the lady I referenced in my first sentence) called and asked if I could arrive at my appointment earlier (11am). I said no but did reschedule my appointment with her to 1pm and she told me to come earlier if I could. I arrived at 12:30/12:45pm and waited in the waiting area with about 4-5 others. Everyone was seen before me and by the time it was ~1:10pm, I went to the front and asked when my appointment would begin. The woman told me Lou would be right with me and that I would need to wait because he was squeezing me in for the day. My appointment began about 10 minutes later. Lou was pleasant and did my taxes quickly (my whole appt was about 30min). He asked if I would prefer my refund mailed or direct deposited. I wanted direct deposit but forgot my banking information, he said no problem, to call him with my account/routing number and he'd finish off my taxes for me. He did not give me my tax paperwork because it was not finalized yet (he needed my bank info) and said he would email me instructions on how to access it online as a PDF. I said ok and left. At this point, I still don't have any issues because it was an overall fast and cheap process but things would begin to get so frustrating. The same day I called the office 3 times and the first two times Lou was unavailable to answer my call. Both times the woman told me to just call back to catch Lou between appointments but wouldn't tell me when the appointments were over so I had to guess. Eventually I did get in contact with Lou, gave him my banking info, and he said he would email me instructions (for accessing my tax paperwork). Nothing came in so I waited two weeks and called the office. She said Lou would call me back. A week pass and I called again, same thing. I did try to access my paperwork thru H&R Block's website but their website told me I don't have an account and there was no way to make one and tie it to my taxes from this year. I got frustrated and called her again today, explained the situation (how I've been waiting for a while) and she is really, really confused and makes no sense on the phone after. She starts asking me for a lot of personal information (cell phone, tax id number, etc.) which I give to her. She asks me who my accountant was, I told her, she said that people have changed and that she couldn't find him/me. She then starts talking about how it's $25 to get a copy of your tax paperwork. I have no idea what she's talking about. She asked me for my phone number three times at this point and I'm asking her to clarify what is going on. Nothing was making sense so I decided to just go to the store. When I arrived, about 15 minutes later, it was just her, Lou, another accountant, and another customer in the store. I walk in and immediately the woman who works the front desk gives me a huge fake smile and says "Hello Cindy, I remember you." I took a seat, although I preferred not to, and waited for Lou to finish with his customer. Then Lou helped me and I left without the woman saying "Have a nice day Cindy, I will remember you" Lady, I really wish you remembered me 3 weeks ago when I called you the first time. Or two weeks ago when I called to follow up on my first call. Very unprofessional and generally passive aggressive. Thanks Lou for doing my taxes! read more

Oh at last our favorite time of year- tax season!! Hmm what to do with that nice little deserved tax check? New shoes? Down payment on a new car? Negative- pay these billsssss! Anyhoo Leul is the absolute best. I can say I have genuinely looked forward to seeing him for the past 3 years. He has helped me claim items I would have never thought I could claim. He has given me the best financial advice as well. Even though last year I ended up owing, he steered me a new direction, one that would benefit me, even if that meant he wouldn't be receiving my business last year, now that really says a lot about a person. Today with him was great as I took his advice from last year and I ended up not owing this year. He even offers to start inputting all your info before you come in so that way you are mostly done. He knows me and always asks about the family, he is a great personable guy and I look forward to seeing him next year! Go see Leul! read more

I am not much of a review person but I felt compelled to write this review because this H&R Block has seriously the kindest staff and they deserve the praise! My boyfriend visited this location on Grand and came home raving about the services so I went there myself last week. There is obviously a great team at this location. They work well together and are very friendly and accommodating. I was in and out of there in 15 mins with everything explained very clearly to me. My taxes aren't complicated and I used to use TurboTax but because of the excellent staff, I will be coming back to this location next year- It was definitely worth it! read more

Leul Afework is trully a class act who understands professionalism in the face of adversity. I would highly recommend this trully respected establishment for the time and care him and Barbara took into doing my taxes. I felt very comfortable doing business with such nice people and who understood my needs as a valued customer, Thank You!!! ~ (Integrity) read more

My wife and I recently moved to California from different states and decided to go to H&R Block for professional tax prep. We chose Maureen Plimier based on all the reviews below. It was a singularly unpleasant and unprofessional experience every step of the way. Maureen did not have a NY state license to process my return from before I moved to CA. A detail she chose to leave out for a good week and half after taking our case. When we checked in to see progress on the file, she casually informed us that she still needed to renew her license. From there onwards at every point in time, her evaluation of our Federal and State tax liability was full of inconsistencies. The numbers she quoted at every point were different from those mentioned on previous communications. If asked, she said "that is what the HR block tax software system says". She seemed unclear about what could and could not be deducted from our returns or whether we should file MFS or MFJ, which coming from a supposed "tax expert" is severely alarming. Keying in the numbers into a tax software black box is essentially a clerical job; one would expect more from a paid tax consultant. At the end of several phone calls and return visits, once our tax prep was finally final, she presented us a tax prep fees of $1,000. We were shocked at the number and expressed our dissatisfaction. This was followed by some extremely unprofessional communication from Maureen insinuating that although we made a lot of money, we didn't seem to have any (we did, it must be noted, pay the fees and have H&R file our taxes). In Maureen's mind, having a lot of money presumably equates to complete disregard for fees (and fees for bad service to boot). My wife and I are stunned that a professional and reputable company like H&R Block would hire a woman who feels it is ok to email a client in this manner. We want this not to go unnoticed. To that end, we want to include an excerpt of her email to us - verbatim. "I do understand that you are frustrated that you make a very commendable salary, but seem to have no money. You may want to go to a Consumer Credit Service (find one online that does NOT charge fees) to find help. I can recommend going to the public library and asking the librarian for help in living frugally. Also, there are many websites on budgeting, saving money, living frugally, etc. that are worth studying." Frankly, we never asked the aforementioned "tax expert" for "frugality" advice and will never be going back to H&R block with our tax papers again. read more

I dont know who Maureen is she sounds great, wish she helped me at this location.. Went in for April 15 2012 tax time and it was awful. Went in and was made to feel like my little bit of money didnt matter. Guy told me "why are you filing you dont shouldnt"... well i want too and the $900 I got back was great. I booked an appointment for 2 people, they called to reschedule. The booked the 2 of us for one appointment. We got there late because parking was a nightmare but when we went in were told it was ok because our person was not ready. THEN we sat down for our double appointment, our taxes were a little difficult to file and we are youbg so we had question, he told us since we were late he didnt have time to do one of hours..... BUT as stated he wasnt ready and we waited for 15 minutes for him. He was so snotty about not being able to help one of us.. didnt offer to reschedule another appointment, and then the above comment about not needing to file before we even at down. In the end we jut left and went to the Alameda office were customer service is excellent every year I go. read more

There are angels all over this world. When I was lost while traveling, my travel angel suddenly appeared to guide me. When I was confused about my taxes, my tax angel was serendipitously recommended to me, and I decided to try H & R Block again. MAUREEN PLIMIER is my tax angel!!! She is smart, efficient, organized, and extremely knowledgeable. In addition, she is just an amazing woman. Taxes can take a long time, and there is nothing I dislike more than having to make awkward small talk with strangers. Maureen is one of those wonderful, authentic human beings who can have a real conversation while getting you a huge refund. NOTE- This review is specifically about Maureen. I have to warn you that H&R Block has pretty high fees and that I've had a negative experience with a different tax advisor (see my previous review). read more

I came here cause I was in need of some cash and wanted the instant refund that they offer. My tax preparer was with Maureen Plimier and I couldn't have got a better person to do the job. She is very nice, efficient, and goes out her way to get you the most on your refund. I had got my 2008 taxes done for free at the Oakland Public Library, but didn't get the amount of money that I should have because no one ever told me about the education credits that I was eligible for since I pay for my books and tuition. With Maureen's help, I got an extra $1700 on my refund. I'm going to take her advice have my other refunds amended to get was owed to me. Unfortunately, since I'm moving later this year, I won't have the pleasure of having Maureen do my taxes again, but I recommend anybody who comes to this location to have Maureen do them. read more

Perfectly adequate service if you get frustrated with TurboTax and want a real human do the work for you, or if you're a newbie to the whole tax-paying-citizen thing. I went a month in advance, so the office was relatively quiet, and the woman who helped me was pleasant and efficient. I'm sure there's better out there, but this office was convenient and left me with no complaints. read more

I made an appointment online with a tax preparer at this office, based on what the website said their specialty was, which in my case was that I'm a foreign citizen filing a dual-status return. I showed up for my appointment, and it turns out that this was not the case at all. While the person apologized for the misunderstanding (which was actually a plain mistake on their part, not a misunderstanding) I should have known to back out then. Unfortunately I didn't. Anyway, I was given a new appointment with someone at the same office, who supposedly would be able to help me, for more than a week later. They took copies of all my paperwork, so that my new tax preparer would be able to look through it and see what needed to be done before my appointment. I came back for my second appointment, and realize that no, no looking through had been done, whatsoever. And additionally it turned out that the new person also had no idea what she was doing, though, in her own words, she "took the class". After me explaining to her what I myself knew about what I needed to file (I'm not totally helpless, I had read the IRS instructions), it turned out that she needed to call another office for help. Well, good for you, could you not have done that before my appointment, since you had all my paperwork already? Apparently not. Fast forward in time a little, and I go back for a third appointment to pick up my finished return. While looking over the forms that she had printed out for me, I notice two errors. One I caught just be reading the wording on the form, and one I caught by having read the FIRST page of the instructions for filing a dual-status return. After going through all this, I am still not feeling very confident about everything being filed correctly, so of course I bought their peace of mind thing, hiking my bill up another $35. A last comment from said tax preparer, after she said that she was not the best at this kind of return: "This will teach you to go to University Ave". University Avenue is their Berkeley office, where they apparently handle a lot of foreigners. Well couldn't you just have told me that on my first failed appointment, so I could have talked to someone who knew what they were doing? Needless to say, I won't be coming back. read more

Just finished my taxes with the H&R Block office on Grand Avenue in Oakland. Steve Miller was my tax preparer. Steve did an excellent job and made me feel quite at ease with everything. He was professional, prepared, knowledgeable, and prompt. I will return next year when it is tax time. read more

This review is more for the Senior Tax Analyst, Leul Afework, than it is H&R Block as a whole. I've used H&R Block online in the past (I prefer online), but because of a complicated self-employed tax year, decided to seek help in person. I'm happy to say that the staff at the Grand Ave location were friendly and helpful. Most of all, Leul went above and beyond to simplify complicated tax paperwork while answering all my questions. He was patient, warm, and detailed, and what I appreciated most was that he was never condescending while explaining things. He even offered a spreadsheet suggestion for tracking freelance business expenses! If you visit this location, I highly recommend Leul, especially for freelance /self employment/small business questions. read more

Maureen Plimier is a delight - patient, knowledgeable, and has a genuine concern for her clients. This is the second year I've worked with her and once again, I'm glad I did. I actually found her through Yelp, since the people below were signing her praises. I used to prepare my taxes with software that was either free or cost roughly $60 online, etc. A year ago, I was mortified to find that for the first time ever, I owed money! Close to $1,000. In a panic, I looked on Yelp and made an appointment with Maureen. Sure, it was more expensive than doing it online, but I got the money back fivefold - not only did I not owe anything when I was done, I actually got some money back. This year, I did my taxes online before I met Maureen, just to have a reference point for comparison. Apparently, I was only going to get back $225 or so. After I was done with Maureen, I got back close to $1,000. Sure, your mileage may vary, but the great thing about it is that she finds very simple things you may have overlooked and knows exactly what to do. I can't vouch for H&R Block as a whole (had a bad experience at another branch when I wanted to check on something and got a bozo), but Maureen gives the company much credibility. EDIT: Maureen has retired. Long live Maureen! read more

Worst experience EVER! I wouldNever ever deal with any H H R block again in my life. They ended up owing me some money and I've been tossed through so many loops. They even sent me a check thatt wasn't even cashable. Wells Fargo said they couldn't bdo anything with that piece of paper literally. It's been 3 months and I can't even get past tallking to a floor supervisor! read more

I wish i could have meet Maureen too. unfortunately, my appointment was set up with some one else( Mr. Afework). Given that i am also a finance professional, i had my questions prepared to evaluate with the services i was about to purchase is worthy or not; but none of my questions were answered as the Mr. Afework confused to prior my committment to purchase the services. Anyway, i walked out as i believe that professional services should gain customer trust first as it is different from selling physical goods. If i have a chance in the future, i still look forward to consulting with Maureen read more

I am never returning to this HR block office again. The guy who did my taxes asked me if I wanted a refund advance, and I said yes. He told me ok, we'll do that. Several days passed and nothing about any confirmation about an advance in my email, which by the way I should have received in 24 hours as he said. I called the HR service center and they told me that a refund advance was never in progress to begin with. So I called the HR block office again, and the guy who did my taxes told me some lame excuse that he got confused between the emerald card and refund advance. Either way, I should have received a confirmation in my email within 24 hours, and that never happened. He said, I'll make sure you get your refund advance. Several days passed and NOTHING. Just the IRS website telling me that they received my return as usual and it would take some time to process it. I called the HR service center again, and they told me AGAIN that the rapid refund was never processed to begin with. They told me that they will contact me within 24 hours to let me know what's going on. Btw, this is what they told me the last time and they never contacted me. They are giving me the run around. I've never dealt with such incompetence in my life. To top that all off, HR block won't answer any of my calls to them regarding this. They probably have caller id, and won't answer my calls because they don't have an answer for my tax refund questions. Never HR Block again! read more

my husband and I moved here from NY.. we usually do our own taxes but it was way too complicated this year due to the move. so we reluctantly came to h&r block. we saw Maureen based on yelp! reviews and she was awesome! knowledgeable, funny, and experienced! she was helpful and it was totally painless! we totally reccommend Maureen! read more

I have gone to this H&R Block for many years, and I always have been pleased with the work of the tax preparers there. In recent years my tax preparer has been Steve Miller. This office has the latest soft ware for preparing taxes, and when you go there every year, the record of taxes prepared for the previous year is readily accessed to speedily assist the preparer in updating your data with the information for the current year. This year the soft ware was new and worked faster than I have ever seen it in previous years. The training given to the employees must be excellent. Quickly my taxes were completely finished and signed off by me electronically to be forwarded to the IRS when the IRS starts reviewing taxes for this year. Additionally, I was provided with a hard copy of my taxes for my own use. I was informed about how long it would take for me to receive my tax refunds into my bank account. read more

Whatever you do, do NOT get scheduled with Mulugeta Mahray at the Grand office. He gave me Horrible customer service. You are just dollar signs to him. I had a very nice woman from the Telegraph office refer me to the "second look" program (a tax professional looks at your completed taxes for free) , only to sched. an appt. with Mulugeta Mahray and have him belittle me sarcastically with comments like "now how can I do a 'second' look, if you haven't filed your taxes yet?" (even though my taxes were completed, sitting in front of him, waiting to be sent in). I answered, "because I don't want to send in my taxes wrong in the first place. I thought you guys advertise a free 'second look' by a professional." Apparently, this answer wasn't good enough for him and instead of explaining nicely how things work, and how he can help me (DUH...get me to file with you at H&R, and gain a customer idiot) he answers sarcastically, " Why would I waste my time?". He obviously saw me as only a sales commission and not a possible future customer. The only reason I added more stars to H&R Block is because after talking to the manager, she set me up with Lual T. Lualhati (Grand Office) and she was wonderful and polite, and helped me with everything I needed. Just make sure you check who you are being scheduled with before that idiot walks you straight out the door too! read more