case summary
National Federation of the Blind and United States v. H&R Block
A 2014 court-entered consent decree resolved allegations about access to H&R Block's website and online tax-preparation product. It required defined accessibility work and reporting. The decree required H&R Block to pay $45,000 to the two individual plaintiffs ($22,500 each) and a $55,000 civil penalty to the United States. A consent decree is a negotiated settlement: H&R Block denied the allegations and liability, and the payments were agreed terms rather than a contested judgment that the allegations were proven.
How to read this summary
This summary distinguishes allegations from a court ruling, settlement, damages, fees or a government penalty. It describes a dated historical record and does not assess the current accessibility of any party's website.
Sources and boundaries
U.S. Department of Justice, archived ADA materials
Date: Consent decree entered March 2014
The decree resolved the litigation without trial, required WCAG 2.0 Level AA work on a schedule, required payments of $22,500 to each of the two individual plaintiffs and a $55,000 civil penalty, and stated that H&R Block denied the allegations and liability.
Read the source: U.S. Department of Justice, archived ADA materialsReviewed October 8, 2026
U.S. Department of Justice
Date: Official release, March 6, 2014
The Justice Department described its intervention, the settlement and the decree's accessibility requirements.
Read the source: U.S. Department of JusticeReviewed September 27, 2026