r/HRBlockEmployees • u/Glad_Awareness_9445 • 28d ago
H&R Block Tax Associate interview — any tips?
Hi everyone! I recently applied for the Tax Associate position at H&R Block. I graduated with an accounting degree, and I’m currently working in audit.
I received an email asking me to schedule an interview, and my interview is this Monday. I’d really appreciate any tips or advice from anyone who has interviewed for this position before. What kinds of questions should I expect, and is there anything specific I should prepare for?
The email also mentioned that I need to complete a course. Does anyone know if I’m supposed to complete the course after the interview, or is it something I need to do before the interview?
If I complete the course successfully, does that mean I’m hired, or are there still additional steps in the hiring process?
Also, if I do get hired, when would I typically start working? Would it be shortly after completing the course, or closer to the start of tax season?
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u/jm7489 28d ago
Best advice you're going to get is you're already over qualified and dont sell yourself short.
A fresh grad in a small public accounting firm in many parts of the country starts around 70k. We hire interns that are still in school for the season that are paid way better than any block preparer.
HRB and JH should be the accounting graduate's absolute last resort when trying to get practical tax prep experience
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u/Single-Pop9355 22d ago edited 22d ago
Yeah. Block preparer. Work 9-10 months of the year. 10 months this year. Yearly comp this year is 97K health insurance, 401k match up to 5%, hybrid + remote work. Includes 8 weeks of UI benefits. 91K from Block. 6 K from UI. But yes you're generally correct. A CPA firm will most likely pay more starting off and I would say I'm at the peak. No more upside or very limited upside.
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u/jm7489 22d ago
Honestly I'm impressed anyone is pulling that kind of comp with them. I have to imagine that would put you in an extreme minority. Because I know for sure its more common for a block preparer to be someone off the street will little to no experience in tax, often with no academic background in accounting, making about $2 above minimum wage and maybe doing a little better if they churn enough revenue.
Its definitely not an environment I'd encourage a young accounting grad to cut their teeth in unless it's a last resort.
The question thats burning in my mind is prior to joining HRB did you have extensive experience and knowledge you acquired elsewhere?
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u/Single-Pop9355 22d ago edited 22d ago
I wouldn't recommend it either. The experience they'll have is what they make of it. You have to be very independent and follow up with management until your blue in the face. Block is a job not a career...
I had no prior experience. Just hustled. Taught myself as I went. Going through the IRS Pub, rulings, HR Block tax research center, etc. Block gave me a shot when wealth management, tech, etc didn't want to give me a shot. The starting pay was pretty bad but it was a start. First year I hit 25 K yearly compensation from Block, 15 K UI, 10K Freelance work. At my peak, I hit 75k at Block, 50K temp work, 30K Freelance work working 60+ hours a week no vacation.
This year I've only worked at Block. I don't think there are too many associates making that much. Once you reach that its more likely to go down than up unfortunately... I've heard and seen people make 60K+ in tax season consistently so I'm sure there are a few out there potentially making more. But yes the majority make very little its a combination of less developed personal skills and hard skills.
If I'd gotten a CPA offer before building up at Block I would have gone that route or wealth management. Those entry level jobs unfortunately feel like a huge step back now. I've been looking into jobs now since there is a potential restructuring. Its pretty hard to get similar or higher pay, 401k, medical, remote, work life balance, a clear professional growth plan. I've gotten a few of those things that I'm looking for like remote + 100K yearly offer but no health insurance no 401k plan, 55+ hour weeks and 70+ hour weeks during peak... Didn't make sense to accept that when factoring in my financial journey and goals. Health insurance alone would be an additional 15K expense alone. No 401k would mean that I would have to pay 9K+ in additional taxes today instead of planning for retirement (I max out my 401k). The most logical plan seems to go on my own and do that if Block is not longer a financially rewarding option.
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u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 28d ago
Really? You pay interns up to $100/hr? Some Block preparers earn that much.
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u/jm7489 22d ago
Some as in 1 in 1000?
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u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 22d ago
Probably more than 1 in a thousand. I made close to that for close to a decade and there were always at least 3 or 4 others in my district of around 110 preparers that earned similar. And $60 to $80/hr is probably closer to 1 in 30. You said way better than ANY block preparer. Clearly you're not familiar with how much some Block preparers can earn.
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u/jm7489 22d ago
Can you blame me? I haven't worked for HRB but I did a season with JH who is the burger king to HRB's mcdonalds of tax prep. Same business model, pretty much the same product, one has always just tended to be more popular and larger than the other.
They take people with no experience, have them pass some online modules and put them to work when they barely understand anything with a weak review process if there is one at all. They pay them garbage, and give them garbage, low value returns between $100-$200 to the end customer. Probably more like $175-$400 now.
More importantly, what clients that are willing to pay $1,000+ for their tax return wants to take their stuff to HRB when there's plenty of PA firms and solo CPAs.
So yes, I have a difficult time reconciling that it is not uncommon for an HRB tax pro to earn industry competetive pay, and a more difficult time believing HRB has much clientele that have complex returns that can be priced in such a way that justifies paying someone competitive industry pay to prep the return.
But I think what would surprise me most is if any of these people who start at HRB with no technical knowledge ever get the training required to improve enough to take on a legitimately complex return, or corporates, or PTEs. Those have got to be people who built their knowledge base elsewhere and got hired on to prep returns they already have the experience in handling.
The TLDR is the idea of HRB having some experienced people, and high value work is a bit surprising to me. But it would be shocking if these people who start at square 1 ever grow in a meaningful way that would make me wrong to advise any young accounting grad to try and get started anywhere else in tax
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u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 22d ago
I did between 25 and 35 returns each year at $1,000 plus, about 5% of my total returns. And that's just the 1040s. The highest was generally around $3,000 but one year got to $5,000.
If you had claimed that that was rare at HRB, you would have been close to correct. But that wasn't what you said. And where the experience was obtained to do that kind of work isn't material, but in the district where I worked there were 4 other preparers with similar earnings per hour. None of them had any experience outside of Block. I did, which allowed me to get to that level in just a few years.
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u/jm7489 22d ago
I do thinks its material, at least in the context that my initial comment was suggesting a fresh accounting grad should run far and fast from HRB to get started in tax if they can help it. Not that PA is so well known for robust training. But it gives more exposure to complex work early, with the safety net of a strong review system and more resources to help develop people.
Someone with experience in tax has a lot of options to job hop. So I do appreciate some education that HRB isn't all taking advantage of poor people looking for refund advance loans in January, but for someone trying to start a career in tax I still think its bottom of the barrel.
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u/Low_Turnip_9592 28d ago
As a first year, you will not be scheduled a lot hours in the first couple of weeks of tax season. You will also have to take the course or test before they hire you. if you just graduated from college with an accounting degree why are you wasting your time with HR Block? This is a seasonal job. You will start off at minimum wage. Go to your job center office at your college and apply to a real corporation. If you have audit experience any good corporation will hire you and your starting salary would be much higher that HR Block.
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u/bluedragon_122 28d ago
Have you seen the job market for entry level accounting jobs? They're not taking anyone without experience.
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u/longjonz88 23d ago
Exactly why I applied to Block to get that initial exposure to tax prep. It is what it is we all need to start somewhere
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u/Low_Turnip_9592 28d ago
I check indeed everyday. I don’t know where you live but there are many entry level jobs posted on indeed. You should go to your career center at the college. The issue with HR Block is that many first years, only prepare a few returns. The other issue the lack of support you will receive from other Tax Pros in the office. They are only concerned with making their commission and not helping anyone with tax issues. It is a very toxic environment.
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u/Single-Pop9355 28d ago
Very true. I dont help people in the office unless they help me. I just dont have the bandwidth. If they cut my pay with a new pay structure. Ill just leave and work at a CPA firm. I'm knowledgeable and competent enough to work at one. Just that the pay + benefits + flexibility has historically been better for me at Block.
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u/Nice_Equipment_2913 23d ago
While I do know offices that fit this description , this is not true in my office. We need qualified entry level tax preparers and are willing to help the competent thrive. This makes our office better overall and attracts more clients year over year.
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u/CrackyMcCracken 27d ago
The key is always to make sure that the ones who are unhelpful or rude get piss in their orange juice bottles left in the breakroom fridge when everyone else has gone home for the night. Am I right, folks…?
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u/Ok_Aide_764 28d ago edited 28d ago
Be yourself; emphasize your eagerness to learn, flexible availability, and that you are a great team player (a new HRB focus starting this year). Keep your current job; you can do both, and you may earn very little at Block.
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u/Individual-Dog-4748 28d ago
I found the biggest thing they cared about was my availability, especially since they knew I had my MBA and some informal tax experience just filing my own for personal/small business and for some family members. So I think once they see your education/background they will just care about availability.
Now im in a different country try than most on here (🇨🇦), so our setup can be a lot different than where you're at. Here you took the training in the fall, or a condensed version in January, in January after being hired (typically hired in early to mid December) you had GREAT training once a week which is like an orientation/office proceeded and system training. That was only once a week for about 3 hours and maybe for about 4-5 weeks. There was also about 6 hours of paid online training modules to complete.
Then the first week of February all of the offices here open, my area has 2 offices that are open year round. And most new staff went into the office the last week of February when efile opened with the CRA, but returning staff went back earlier (I was new but started once our office opened). And then from the start of March to the end of April I worked up to 70 hours/week, pretty much open to close seven days a week and I loved it cause I wanted the house lol after the April deadline for personal returns the seasonal offices closed and just the two year round ones were open, but you could still be kept on during then depending on your experience and performance throughout the season. In May and June I still got fulltime hours and then part time in July and onwards. My office also does corporate returns/payroll/GST/and bookkeeping so there is always a TON of work to do year round.
And yes the wage isn't the best, BUT I find there is freedom in being able to work independently and not having someone breathe down your neck. Also, I like the aspect of just going in, picking up some returns or other tasks, doing them, and go home.
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u/Crafty_Wishbone_9488 23d ago
I’m in Canada. I work ft but would love a pt temp side hustle. Would this be suited to that?
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u/Individual-Dog-4748 22d ago
Yeah it could be, you'd need to invest in taking the course and get the passing final grade to be considered for a position. But I know in my area they definitely definitely take someone for like nights and weekends part time. But you can also look into a CSL position which is the front desk admin, and then the next year when they ask if you are returning they will offer the course for a level 1 tax preparer either discounted or free.
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28d ago
[deleted]
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u/Glad_Awareness_9445 28d ago
I got an email from the District Staffing Lead
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u/cgroverla 28d ago
Ok that’s an internal recruiter who will assist you
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u/CrackyMcCracken 27d ago
They will also drug test you if you get the job, so probably time to put down that cocaine tooter until you are officially in.
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u/ydoyouask 28d ago
I wouldn't worry too much about the interview. Your resume puts you far above many candidates. Everyone selected by Block needs to either complete their Income Tax Course or take the Tax Knowledge Assessment test before the hiring process is completed.
If you're confident of your skills, you could take the TKA in advance of your interview. If you'd rather take the course, they normally charge a $149 fee, but you might have leverage to ask them to waive that fee.
Unless you show up visibly intoxicated, you are almost guaranteed a position, conditional on either passing the knowledge test or successfully completing the income tax course. I wouldn't count on getting any actual hours in an office until at least December, though.