H&R Block: Litigation & Risk
Financial Services · FDD Items 3, 4 & 5
Elevated Risk
7 cases disclosed in FDD Items 3 and 4.
FDD Items 3 & 4
Litigation Metrics
- Cases disclosed
- 7
- Total from FDD Items 3 and 4
- Bankruptcy (Item 4)
- None
- Franchisor or officer bankruptcy
- Verdict score
- 54 / 100
- FranchiseVerdict composite · higher is better
- Rating
- B
- A / B / C / D / F verdict grade
7(a) FOIA data · FY2020–present
SBA Loan Performance
Aggregated from public SBA 7(a) loan disclosures. Charge-off rate is the share of loans that were charged off or settled for less than the full balance.
- Total 7(a) loans
- 54
- Government-backed loans issued
- Charge-off rate
- 5.6%
- vs 16% franchise average
- 5-yr charge-off rate
- N/A
- Defaults
- 3 loans
- Loans charged off or defaulted
- Total loan volume
- $8.6M
- Avg loan size
- $159K
- Participating lenders
- 41
FDD Items 5, 6 & 17: What You Give Up
Contract Risk Indicators
- Mandatory arbitration
- Not required
- You retain the right to sue in court
- Jury trial waiver
- Not waived
- Non-compete
- 2 yrs
- Post-termination restriction on similar businesses
- Franchisor can compete
- Yes
- Franchisor can open competing locations in or near your territory
- Right of first refusal
- Yes
- Franchisor can match any purchase offer when you try to sell
- Governing law
- MO
- State whose law governs disputes. Relevant if you're not based there
Extracted from FDD Item 3
Litigation Detail
Two settled compliance fee class actions (Lopez/Perras, total $660K); Form 8863 MDL settled $150K; Vocational Consultants settled $840K; FTC administrative complaint settled $7M; Colorado Tax Specialists (ongoing, Missouri Franchise Act claim dismissed without prejudice); H&R Block v. Calise (settled May 2025 with consent injunction). One lawsuit against franchisee (Sandra Moore) for restrictive covenant enforcement.
What drove the 54/100 verdict
Risk Score Breakdown
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-6.9% YoY) suggests system contraction and potential market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MINORExtremely high royalty structure (60% on first $5,000, then 40%) consumes majority of early-stage revenue, creating cash flow pressure
- 03MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosed in FDD Item 19, making ROI projections impossible and preventing informed investment decisions
- 04HIGHMultiple active litigation matters including FTC settlement, class actions on deceptive fees, and restrictive covenant disputes indicate compliance and reputational issues
- 05MINORUnprotected territory exposes franchisees to direct competition from other H&R Block franchisees and company-owned locations
- 06MINORDeclining system size suggests fewer operational references and reduced collective bargaining power for franchisees
Severity inferred from FDD text. Not a regulatory or legal classification
Litigation data from FDD Items 3, 4, and 5. SBA data from public 7(a) FOIA records (FY2020–present). Not legal advice. Consult a franchise attorney before signing any franchise agreement.