H&R Block error causing lengthy tax refund delays for customers

 Some taxpayers splurge on big-screen televisions or pay off their credit cards with their tax refund, while others, like Brandon Frank, count on it to pay rent.

The 25-year-old former construction worker from Michigan and father of three may have to wait as long as six weeks before he sees his refund, because of a filing error by H&R Block.

"I was counting on it for rent," said Frank, who's been unemployed since October and is attending college. "I'm probably going to have to go to one of the cash-advance places, because the money I was expecting isn't there."

Courtesy of Bret Hartman/Los Angeles Times

He's among 600,000 H&R Block customers who face lengthy delays for tax refunds after a filing error by the tax preparer, the Internal Revenue Service said late Tuesday.

The filing blunder affects customers — mainly students — who filed Form 8863 for education credits from Feb. 14 to Feb. 22. Many were upset that the delay would affect applications for federal financial aid for college.

For the complete Los Angeles Times story, go here.