H&R Block charged me $470 for 17 crypto trades … is this normal

Last year, I made 17 small crypto trades, totaling less than $300 with a net loss of $90. I went to H&R Block to file my taxes, and they charged me $470 for this. The agent, who seemed older, manually entered each transaction one by one, which took over an hour. He said the fee was because I had to pay per transaction.

Is this how it works? This feels way too expensive, especially for such a small amount of activity. What should I do about this?

I don’t think serious crypto traders are using H&R Block.

Sage said:
I don’t think serious crypto traders are using H&R Block.

And they’re definitely paying way more than $470 to a proper CPA.

Rowan said:

Sage said:
I don’t think serious crypto traders are using H&R Block.

And they’re definitely paying way more than $470 to a proper CPA.

True. But for a simple W-2 and a few crypto trades, $470 isn’t that unusual.

@Sage
Yeah, I get that.

Rowan said:

Sage said:
I don’t think serious crypto traders are using H&R Block.

And they’re definitely paying way more than $470 to a proper CPA.

I trade a lot, and TurboTax was pretty easy for me.

@Jules
Are you sure your return is accurate though?

Rowan said:
@Jules
Are you sure your return is accurate though?

Why wouldn’t it be? I’ve used TurboTax for years without issues.

Rowan said:
@Jules
Are you sure your return is accurate though?

Honestly, software like that probably makes fewer mistakes than people.

Oli said:

Rowan said:
@Jules
Are you sure your return is accurate though?

Honestly, software like that probably makes fewer mistakes than people.

The software is great, but it’s still human-made and used by non-professionals. I wouldn’t trust it for more complex cases.

I won’t handle crypto for my clients unless they provide a summary. Tracking each transaction is too much work.

Whitney said:
I won’t handle crypto for my clients unless they provide a summary. Tracking each transaction is too much work.

Same here. I tell them to use services that create a proper summary or I don’t do it.

Whitney said:
I won’t handle crypto for my clients unless they provide a summary. Tracking each transaction is too much work.

Try Koinly. It works for aggregating data from different wallets and exchanges.

You could have just walked out and refused to pay before they filed your return.

How did you even manage to lose money on crypto last year?

Rowan said:
How did you even manage to lose money on crypto last year?

Probably bought some random meme coin.

That’s a lot to pay for such a simple return. You could’ve done it yourself with software like FreeTaxUSA.

$470 isn’t crazy for a return with a Schedule D, but you can definitely find someone better for that price.

Not sure why people still use H&R Block.

Seriously, next time, find a professional who knows what they’re doing.