Over 50 years ago, brothers Henry and Richard Bloch founded H&R Block. The pair began working together in the late 1940s, operating the United Business Company, which provided bookkeeping services to small businesses in Kansas City, Missouri.

The brothers also offered individual income tax return preparation to the executives of their client companies. When word of this service spread, they were preparing more and more individual tax returns for more and more clients. With the brothers recognizing their tax preparation services as a sound business venture, H&R Block Inc. was formed in 1955, with Henry as president and chief executive officer and Richard as chairman of the board.