UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Thousands of Pennsylvanians who hired H&R Block to prepare their 2001 federal income tax returns may be eligible for a second, delayed tax refund, according to a consumer-issues specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

H&R Block charged many 2001 tax filers a $22 Peace of Mind fee. Cathy Bowen, associate professor and consumer issues specialist in the department of agricultural and extension education, says customers were told that if errors were made on their return, the company would pay up to $5,000 in any additional income tax that may be owed.

Filers who never used the Peace of Mind services or believe that they were not informed of the additional fee may be eligible for a refund. Bowen says more than 40 state attorneys general pressed for the refund, and approximately 104,000 Pennsylvania consumers may be eligible.

"The attorneys general were concerned that some were not told about the charge or the Peace of Mind guarantee, or that preparers may have glossed over it," Bowen says. "Maybe customers were presented with information on computer screens as they were getting their taxes completed; maybe the preparer didn't explain it, or ran through it quickly."

The deadline for requesting the refund is Aug. 22, 2003, and Bowen says she's concerned that many Pennsylvanians won't hear about the refund soon enough to get their money back. "This information was released by the state attorney general's office on April 24," she says. "I'm not sure how widely the information was distributed, particularly to the folks who are likely to need it. They might have missed it in newspapers."

To claim their refund, Block customers can call toll free (866) 522-7083, or visit the following Web sites: https://www.hrblock.com/customer_support/pom.jsp or https://www.hrblock.com/customer_support/pom_es.jsp (for instructions in Spanish).

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EDITORS: Contact Cathy Bowen at 814-863-7870 or at cbowen@psu.edu.

Contact:

Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu 814-863-2708 814-863-9877 fax #190