A better idea is to go to irs.gov and use their free file wizard to see which service is free for you. I used 1040.com this year. Last year I used freetaxusa.com, but this year that would not have been free for me due to my change in income. Which service is free depends on your state, income, and income complexity.
TurboTax discontinued their participation in the IRS Free File program a few years back, IIRC. I don’t think they’ll be listed on the IRS’s Free File website.
The IRS presented them to the public as a “free option” for years, knowing they were not free.
The only time they’re not free is if you don’t meet the requirements for the Free File Program or you try to use one of TurboTax’s services that aren’t part of the Free File Program.
I actually used TurboTax for years before they left the Free File Program (supposedly because it was too restrictive in what they could charge for), and I never had to pay a cent. I’ve since moved on to other tax sites that are still part of the Free File Program, and I’ve still never had to pay anything.
I would argue that the IRS wasn’t at fault here, though. Like the article said, people were steered away from the Free File Program, so people having to pay wasn’t a fault of the Free File Program but rather a fault of Intuit’s deceptive practices of marketing their alternative freemium versions of their software.
Intuit divested the tax product in that sale, which was bought by Block (FKA Square) and is part of their Cash App brand. So it’s still around and still not Intuit.
The login process for it is absolutely terrible and requires so much jumping back and forth between the dumb app and my computer, which is where I want to actually do my taxes.
that’s who I use! $15 to file state, free federal; I mean that’s pretty close to ‘free’ compared to Turbo/Inuit pushing you close to $100 after all the BS. And freetaxusa keeps my info for subsequent years, etc.
I’d suggest using the IRS’s Free File Program wizard to find a tax program that’ll do your state taxes for free. You’d save a little money that way. Most tax programs will keep your info for multiple years after your first time using them, too.
thanks, but I make too much according to that, which is something else people seem to skip over whenever these “just do it for free!!!” posts come up. You have to make below $80k (AGI) even when married.
But, again, even if I didn’t, $15 seems pretty fair to me, to avoid having to hunt for the magical free method.
I used it, but then one year it was telling me I owed money. When I double checked on TurboTax, it was the opposite. I went with Turbo Tax. I’ve been wary of FreeTaxUSA since…
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It would probably have better adoption if it didn’t have such a scammy-sounding name.
A better idea is to go to irs.gov and use their free file wizard to see which service is free for you. I used 1040.com this year. Last year I used freetaxusa.com, but this year that would not have been free for me due to my change in income. Which service is free depends on your state, income, and income complexity.
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TurboTax discontinued their participation in the IRS Free File program a few years back, IIRC. I don’t think they’ll be listed on the IRS’s Free File website.
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The only time they’re not free is if you don’t meet the requirements for the Free File Program or you try to use one of TurboTax’s services that aren’t part of the Free File Program.
I actually used TurboTax for years before they left the Free File Program (supposedly because it was too restrictive in what they could charge for), and I never had to pay a cent. I’ve since moved on to other tax sites that are still part of the Free File Program, and I’ve still never had to pay anything.
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I would argue that the IRS wasn’t at fault here, though. Like the article said, people were steered away from the Free File Program, so people having to pay wasn’t a fault of the Free File Program but rather a fault of Intuit’s deceptive practices of marketing their alternative freemium versions of their software.
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Intuit recently got slapped by a different government agency. I doubt that they will get that privelage again for a while.
Nice, here’s that link.
Check out Tax Hawk, it might be a good option for you this year
For a couple of years CreditKarma was the best free solution. Then Intuit bought them.
Intuit divested the tax product in that sale, which was bought by Block (FKA Square) and is part of their Cash App brand. So it’s still around and still not Intuit.
Last I checked you couldn’t use the cash app version without downloading their app.
The login process for it is absolutely terrible and requires so much jumping back and forth between the dumb app and my computer, which is where I want to actually do my taxes.
that’s who I use! $15 to file state, free federal; I mean that’s pretty close to ‘free’ compared to Turbo/Inuit pushing you close to $100 after all the BS. And freetaxusa keeps my info for subsequent years, etc.
I’d suggest using the IRS’s Free File Program wizard to find a tax program that’ll do your state taxes for free. You’d save a little money that way. Most tax programs will keep your info for multiple years after your first time using them, too.
thanks, but I make too much according to that, which is something else people seem to skip over whenever these “just do it for free!!!” posts come up. You have to make below $80k (AGI) even when married.
But, again, even if I didn’t, $15 seems pretty fair to me, to avoid having to hunt for the magical free method.
I’ve been using this for years and have been happy with the service. If I have to pay for something at least I’m not giving money to TurboTax.
Also, check with your state tax site, as sometimes they have free state filing options.
I used it, but then one year it was telling me I owed money. When I double checked on TurboTax, it was the opposite. I went with Turbo Tax. I’ve been wary of FreeTaxUSA since…
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