• by Tanya Gazdik , March 7, 2011

A new service from H&R Block allows its DIY customers to track the status of their state and federal tax refund from a mobile phone.

The Kansas City, Mo.-based tax return provider has partnered with Pageonce. Users enter their H&R Block At Home username and password in the Pageonce free mobile app, and their information is automatically populated into the H&R Block Tax Center. Taxpayers can instantly see when their refund will arrive.

H&R Block and Pageonce are making customers aware of the app through an integrated email and banner advertising campaign targeted at Pageonce's over 4 million users. It is the first time the tax preparation company has teamed with an integrated partner in the mobile space, says Jason Houseworth, senior vice president of digital solutions for H&R Block.

The IRS offers a similar service on its Web site, but the information is not available until 72 hours after a taxpayer e-files their return and then the site information is only updated on a weekly basis, according to Houseworth.

"H&R Block's proprietary Tax Central iPhone application was released in 2010 to solid reviews and heavy downloads," an H&R Block spokesperson tells Marketing Daily. "H&R Block's Pageonce partnership allows it to reach a large and savvy, yet untapped customer base."

During tax season 2011, Pageonce is partnering exclusively with H&R Block to feature H&R Block's tax preparation and expertise through Pageonce's mobile applications. The tax preparer's competitors offer similar services.

With Jackson Hewitt's new, free online tax management platform, MyTaxManager, users can register and can then check the status of federal and state tax returns online or through mobile devices, including information on refund amount, balance due and expected delivery date of a refund.

MyTaxManager is can be accessed through the following platforms -- iPhone, BlackBerry, Android -- via the phone's Web browser. The feature to check the status of a return can be accessed via a mobile phone, but you can also receive return status alerts via text or email.

At Liberty Tax Service, consumers who use the online tax preparation product, eSmart Tax, can receive email notifications. "We do not support text messages this year," Charlie Kirkpatrick, Liberty Tax Service's chief information officer and vice president of technology, tells .