Wiewel said the program's design will allow Block to rapidly expand it, which she said is already planned.

Best of Both represents part of a renewed emphasis on digital products, including the rebranding of the company's TaxCut tax preparation software as H&R Block at Home as the company sets about to correct what it sees as Block's not getting its fair share of the online market.

Some major points, such as rebranding the product, are clear responses to the success of Intuit, whose TurboTax is the dominant product in the consumer market. Chief marketing officer Robert Turtledove, without mentioning Intuit, noted the importance of free offerings in online tax preparation, something that has been important as outlined in presentations by Intuit CEO Brad Smith.

"We’re not going to shy away from using free in our online marketing in order to attract people in because we know free is a critical ante, a gateway into the digital segment," Turtledove said. He described free offerings for those with simple returns as a way to introduce them to Block, which hopes to pick up their business as their tax returns get more complicated.