TSA Pre-Check services open at H&R Block locations
Fliers now have the chance to ease their air travel headaches while they’re filing their taxes.
Under a new partnership between identity services company MorphoTrust USA — owner of IdentoGO, which handles Transportation Security Administration background checks — and H&R Block, people can apply for the agency’s Pre-Check program at half of the tax services provider’s 10,000 locations.
Currently, fliers can apply for expedited screening at 330 IdentoGO Pre-Check application locations at airports around the country, but the new partnership will swell that number by 20 percent. H&R Block locations will also provide a suite of other identity management services, including fingerprinting, for background checks.
Charles Carroll, senior vice president for identity services at IdentoGO, said in a release that most Americans live within five miles of an H&R Block. The new partnership, he said, will make it more convenient to apply for the program.
TSA announced this week that 1.5 million travelers have enrolled in the program since its inception in 2011. To join, applicants must undergo a series of background checks. The designation is good for five years and costs $85. IdentoGO hopes that by expanding application opportunities, this number will increase exponentially, making airports safer and more efficient.
