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

Some H&R Block customers dealt with power outages for several hours before the tax day deadline Monday night, the tax preparation service confirmed on social media.

H&R Block said in a post on social platform X around 11:15 a.m. EDT Monday that an issue prevented some desktop software users from e-filing returns. The company said its “online customers” and those who work with professionals virtually or in-person were not affected.

Shortly after 3:45 p.m. EDT, H&R Block announced that the issue had been resolved.

“We are pleased to report that an issue that was impacting a small number of downloadable desktop software users has been resolved,” the company said in a statement. I wrote to X.

Data from down detectorA study using self-reports of service failures shows that apparent outages began around 9:00 PM EDT on Sunday, increased throughout the night, and decreased on Monday morning. Around 6 a.m., power outages began to increase again. Downdetector reported that nearly 1,700 outages were reported at its peak around noon EDT, after which the number began to decline around 3:20 p.m.

An H&R Block spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that the issue has been resolved and customers have been notified that they can proceed with electronic filing. A spokesperson pointed out that the “vast majority” of people applying to the company use the online version, which is open all day.

Many customers on social media said they had filed multiple complaints, and H&R Block sought to reassure customers. All “Pending Claims” It will be dropped.

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

The Internal Revenue Service received an $80 billion funding boost that will be used to enhance 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 17th to file their taxes due to the state holiday. If you wish to extend the submission deadline, please Form 4868 The deadline to file your 2023 return is October 15th, with the possibility of an additional extension for Americans living abroad.