H and R Block Inc. - 1978 dated Specimen Stock Certificate

Specimen Stock printed by Security-Columbian United States Banknote Corporation. H&R Block, Inc. (H&R Block) is an American tax preparation company that operates in Canada, the United States, and Australia. The company was founded in 1955 by brothers Henry W. Bloch and Richard Bloch. As of 2018, H&R Block operates around 12,000 retail tax offices worldwide, staffed by tax professionals. The company offers payroll and business consulting services, consumer tax software, and online tax preparation and electronic filing through its website.

During World War II, Henry W. Bloch, a young Army Air Forces navigator, aspired to start a family business with his brothers in Kansas City. After returning home from the war in 1946, Henry came across a pamphlet suggesting a promising future for companies serving small businesses, which ignited his entrepreneurial spirit. In the same year, Henry and his older brother, Leon, borrowed $5,000 to open a small bookkeeping business on Main Street in downtown Kansas City. However, four months later, with few clients, Leon decided to pursue a law degree.

Henry was determined to continue with the fledgling business and advertised for help-wanted in a newspaper. To his surprise, his mother responded and suggested that Henry hire his younger brother, Richard, for the job. Henry and Richard Bloch jointly ran their company, called United Business Company, which primarily focused on accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll, and also undertook some income tax work for clients. When the brothers placed an ad for its $5 tax services in The Kansas City Star newspaper in 1955, it became a success, leading to the birth of H&R Block. The Bloch brothers intentionally spelled the name "Block" with a K to ensure it was not mispronounced as "blotch".