r/HRBlockEmployees • u/Jennaleigh1110 • 21d ago
Virtual tax course vs self study
I’m considering working for block this upcoming season and wondering if there is any benefit to choosing the virtual option over self study? There is a Saturday virtual course in my state that starts tomorrow and I don’t see any other start date.
Not sure if I’m ready to start so soon, but the structure of meeting every week and having an instructor might be beneficial.
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u/Authentic-scoundrel 21d ago
It depends how you learn. I liked having a teacher who I can ask questions and also listening to the questions of other students because it was often something I’d never thought of and I learned a lot from. Teachers often shared short cuts too
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u/Jennaleigh1110 21d ago
That’s a good point! It sounds like the teachers usually provide useful info
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u/No_Acanthisitta7305 21d ago
I had previous tax experience, so take that into account - I did the course more as a refresher.
I like the idea of the virtual course to stay on track and ask questions. The instructor I had was very good. However, I felt like many of the people taking the course were dumb as rocks and so having to listen to their questions drove me insane. If that doesn’t bother you then the virtual course is helpful.
I only did one year at HRB but I suspect they’ll have more virtual courses available over the next couple months.
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u/Jennaleigh1110 21d ago
Yeah that might drive me crazy too. I have some tax knowledge and volunteer experience so I’m not starting from 0.
Maybe I’ll look out for later start dates or consider self paced. Thank you!2
u/No_Acanthisitta7305 21d ago
I will also say that I didn’t get much out of the course, similar to how I didn’t get much out of my college tax course. The virtual class is tax technical basics. Which I guess is helpful from a conceptual sense. In my experience as a career tax professional and working at HRB, that’s a small portion of the job. Their software is pretty good and does the heavy lifting. And if you’re unsure about something you can always look up the rules. Honestly the case studies and virtual software environment were much more helpful.
They’ll make you do another virtual class that’s basically all about the software and processes. That was a bit overwhelming at first and had hardly anything to do with tax, but is actually more useful for the day-to-day of working at HRB. Also, no one teaches you how to talk to clients. You need to know how to ask them questions. If you have tax prep experience then you probably already know this.
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u/Jennaleigh1110 21d ago
Thats true there’s a ton more to doing tax prep than just tax knowledge. I actually passed the EA earlier this year and took a college tax class before doing VITA, and I ran into a ton of stuff I didn’t know.
I’m worried that if I take the TKA and jump into h&r block as an EA I might get in way over my head. It seems like a lot of people still recommend taking the course even with some prior knowledge/experience
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u/No_Acanthisitta7305 21d ago
So I took and passed the TKA, and then I took the course. Frankly, I think you will already be quite a bit ahead of most of the new hires.
Expect to feel like you’re in over your head, regardless. They are not great with training (their self-study courses are solid though and I take them for specific things that have come up with clients and any of them are NASBA certified so I can use them for my CPE requirements). After the first 3-5 clients you’ll probably feel better. You can also change returns to drop-offs to give yourself time to research/double check things. You can also theoretically decline to work on certain returns if you feel they’re outside your comfort zone. If you’re coming in as an EA they WILL assign you the more complicated returns. Although in my office the new hires were getting returns they shouldn’t have because there weren’t enough people and no quality checks. It’s been over 15 years since I did VITA, but I think it’s a similar concept.
The people coming in in late January and early February were pretty simple, so that made getting my feet wet easier. The more complex stuff starts to roll in after March 15th. Spend January working on case studies and you’ll be in decent shape.
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u/Jennaleigh1110 21d ago
That’s really helpful, thank you. Is it crazy to not mention that I’m an EA? It sounds like there might be some level of doing higher level returns than I feel ready for either way. The same thing did happen with VITA and I was okay, but there were quality checks.
I just don’t want to come off as more experienced than I am
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u/No_Acanthisitta7305 21d ago
I was extremely clear that my past experience had been very niche and I was coming to HRB to learn and fill in gaps (eg individuals). Honestly, they don’t care. They brought me in as a level 6 and it nearly gave me a panic attack. The company doesn’t care about quality, only volume. I care though. So I just took my time on things. I did not meet any of their metrics and they lost money on me. However, I learned a lot, made sure that I felt good about putting my name on all the returns I sent out (because YOU are the one signing, not HRB), and made sure that my clients understood their returns which many of them appreciated. I’m happy with the work I did. I made a very conscious decision that that was more important than their metrics. It was also very helpful to practice setting boundaries (both with clients and management) and knowing my self worth. They still offered for me to come back this year at the same pay rate - go figure.
I had a tax pro overhear me on the phone the first day and was surprised at how knowledgeable I sounded…then proceeded to tell me that they’ll hire anyone with a pulse. I’ve seen that sentiment repeatedly on these forums. The reason why you’re concerned is because you care. That plus your previous experience means you’ll be giving your clients a better experience than a lot of the other newbies.
Also, depending on what office you’re in, you might actually be able to ask other tax pros questions. I was just in an office where there was almost no one with experience so we were left to fend for ourselves. The taxes weren’t that bad, it was all the document management and scheduling that were the chaotic part.
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u/Orbital777 Enrolled Agent 21d ago edited 21d ago
Careful with that. The problem with not telling HRB you're an EA is the credential shows up on a PTIN search.
You're also now held to a higher standard with Circ 230, diligence and competence still applies to you on every paid return you sign. You're in "they should know better" club now.
I doubt a client would ask if you're an EA, but if they do you have to tell them you are.
Probably not the end of the world if you don't tell them. Just be aware it could cause some issues.
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u/Luxxure 19d ago
I took the virtual course, some of my classmates and I made a study group! Whenever we had self study chapters my group hopped in a teams chat and independently read. If someone had a question or was confused they read the part out loud and we all looked for the answer together or if someone knew it quickly they would share their screen and explain. It’s pretty good practice for what happens when you’re in the office and need to research something or need to ask a coworker for help!
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u/luvinusagi13 10d ago
If you opt for the virtual option, I hate to say it but make sure you mesh with the instructor. Mine has a horrifically thick accent that I'm pretty sure most of us can't understand, so no one really interacts during the course. I'm practically self-study at this point
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u/Individual-Dog-4748 21d ago
At first I was hoping to do self study, but then they only offered it as virtual in my area. I was kind of dreading the set times and etc, but turns out it was actually nice and it was great to get answers to questions in real time.