Some H&R Block customers faced frustrating outages when trying to file their taxes on the last day before the deadline. The outage began on Sunday night and was resolved by Monday afternoon. At its peak, there were almost 1,700 outage reports on Downdetector, a site that tracks telecommunication and internet disruptions. The timing of the outage was especially inconvenient as Monday at 11:59 pm was the deadline to file for 2023, with “tens of millions” more returns expected to be filed in the last few days.
The bad gateway error prevented some desktop software users from filing their returns through H&R Block, although the company’s website was not affected. Some customers on social media expressed frustration at the suggestion to print, file, and mail their forms to the IRS as they relied on e-filing for convenience. Customers also reported issues with their cards being charged multiple times when attempting to file taxes, although the company assured that the charges were only temporary and would expire in 3-5 business days.
If H&R Block customers encountered a tech glitch preventing them from e-filing but still owed the IRS money, they could avoid a penalty by printing out a 1040-V voucher and mailing it in with their payment before the midnight deadline. Another option was to apply for an automatic six-month filing extension by filling out and sending in a form. Affected customers were eventually able to e-file their returns, avoiding a last-minute trip to the post office. Taxpayers in Maine and Massachusetts had until April 17 to file and pay taxes due, as those states observed special holidays.
The IRS had no official comment on the H&R Block outages, but the tax preparer’s support account on Twitter acknowledged the issues and provided updates on the resolution. The company advised customers to file again online or to print, file, and mail their forms if they had encountered the tech glitch. Many tax filers rely on online services like H&R Block, so the outages were particularly disruptive on the last day before the deadline. Taxpayers in Maine and Massachusetts had extra time to file due to special holidays observed in those states.
In response to the outages, H&R Block notified clients through an in-product message and customer service that they could now e-file their returns without further issues. The company also recommended steps for customers who still needed to file their taxes but encountered problems with e-filing. By around 4 pm on the day of the deadline, affected customers were able to successfully file their returns online, avoiding the need to mail in their forms. CNN contributor Jeanne Sahadi provided additional reporting on the situation.
