# H&R Block Self-Employed Online > Online tax software for self-employed authors with full Schedule C support, live expert chat included free on paid tiers, and a unique in-person drop-off option at 6,000+ U.S. offices. Source: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/bookkeeping-tax/hr-block-self-employed-online Website: https://www.hrblock.com/online-tax-filing/self-employed-online-tax-filing/ Category: Bookkeeping & Tax (https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/bookkeeping-tax) Pricing: paid — $85–$130/annual AI-powered: yes Tags: tax-filing, schedule-c, self-employed, live-support, annual, in-person-backup Last verified: 2026-07-01 Best For: Authors who want the security of human backup — live chat with a CPA or the option to walk into a local H&R Block office — when filing self-employment taxes Platforms Connected: 1099-NEC import, W-2 import, Prior-year PDF import Tax Filing: yes Tool Type: tax-filing H&R Block Self-Employed Online handles all Schedule C needs for indie authors and offers the most extensive human-support network of any DIY tax software: live chat and video calls with a CPA or enrolled agent included free on paid tiers, a Tax Pro Review add-on where a pro double-checks and signs your return, and the option to drop off documents at any of 6,000+ H&R Block offices across the U.S. ## Pricing H&R Block uses promotional pricing heavily early in the filing season. The Self-Employed plan regularly sells at a discount of $45 off, bringing the federal price down to **$85** (regular price: **$130**). State filing is **$37 per state**, regardless of tier. Add-ons that can raise the total cost: - **Tax Pro Review** (pro reviews, signs, and e-files your completed return): normally ~$55. H&R Block runs a free-Tax-Pro-Review promotion for new DIY paid-tier clients each filing season (the 2026-season offer ran through the April 11, 2026 deadline and has since ended); expect it to return for the next season - **Refund Transfer** (pay filing fee from your refund instead of upfront): $42 extra - **Tax Pro Go** (fully virtual full-service prep — a tax pro does your whole return remotely): separate, significantly higher cost "Pay when you file" applies — you can start your return for free and only pay when you submit. ## What Authors Get with Self-Employed The Self-Employed tier is the appropriate tier for any author with business expenses to deduct. Deluxe and Premium plans support simpler situations but do not provide the full Schedule C expense workflow. Key inclusions: - Full Schedule C (business income and expenses, not just income) - Home office deduction - Business asset depreciation (Form 4562) - 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, 1099-K import - DeductionPro for donated-item valuation - IRS Audit Support (guidance if you receive an IRS notice — not full representation) - Unlimited live chat/video with a CPA, enrolled agent, or trained H&R employee (included at no extra charge) - 100% Accuracy Guarantee and Max Refund Guarantee ## AI Tax Assist H&R Block's AI Tax Assist is an OpenAI-powered chatbot available 24/7 within the software, backed by H&R Block's Tax Institute knowledge base. It answers tax questions in plain language as you work through your return. It is included across all paid online tiers (Deluxe, Premium, Self-Employed) and the desktop software at no extra charge — not just Self-Employed — but is not available on the Free Online tier. It supplements but does not replace the live expert chat or Tax Pro Review. ## In-Person Drop-Off: The Unique Differentiator No other online tax software offers a true in-person fallback. Authors who become overwhelmed mid-filing can take their documents to a local H&R Block office and have a professional prepare the return instead. The drop-off service is a separate, form-based service priced by the complexity of the return — expect $150–$400+ for a self-employed return with Schedule C expenses. It is not an upgrade or add-on to the online plan; it is a distinct in-person service. ## Limitations - **No self-employed retirement account calculator.** H&R Block does not help calculate optimal SEP-IRA or solo 401(k) contributions — a meaningful gap for authors building tax-advantaged savings. - **No QuickBooks integration.** Authors using QuickBooks Self-Employed for expense tracking cannot import directly; TurboTax Premium handles this natively. - **Limited crypto and brokerage integrations** compared to TurboTax. - **State costs add up.** At $37 per state, authors with multi-state income pay significantly more. - **Pricing changes during filing season.** The $85 promotional price is not guaranteed year-round; the regular price of $130 applies outside promotion windows. - **Trustpilot rating is very poor** (~1.3/5 across 1,477+ reviews as of mid-2026, largely driven by billing/support complaints against the office/prep business, not the DIY software). Expert reviews from NerdWallet and Bankrate rate the software itself more favorably for 2026. ## H&R Block vs. TurboTax Premium for Authors TurboTax Premium (federal ~$99–$139, state ~$59) provides a more guided workflow, QuickBooks integration, and better support for self-employed retirement account contributions. H&R Block Self-Employed is typically cheaper — especially at the promotional price — and wins decisively on human backup options through its physical office network. Authors comfortable with DIY filing who want cost savings and a human fallback will find H&R Block compelling; authors with complex business setups or existing QuickBooks workflows should lean toward TurboTax.