Free income tax software and websites for completing and filing returns.
Many companies offer free income tax fining software. Or they operate websites or even smart phone applications that households can use to get advice, questions answered, or to prepare as well as file taxes for free. As the fact is that income tax season is always an added burden even if you expect a refund to be headed your way. You'll need to get income forms together, dig up receipt, think about maybe complicated financial questions and assemble all other manner of paperwork
Sometimes that state as well as federal income tax filing process becomes too complicated to handle on your own, or you simply don't have time for it. The good news is that there is a lot of free tax software programs as well as online tools or websites out there; the bad news is that each source sometimes only helps with narrow circumstances, and it can be hard finding the right one for your needs.
Fear not, as this article covers just about all of the major sources of tax help out there. You'll learn what the requirements are for each website, online service or software program, what they can (and can't) help with and where to go to find them. There are even free income tax services for gig economy workers or those with a side hustle, as they need to track income, deductions, and business expenses. More on financial and tax advice for gig economy workers.
IRS Free File
If you know that your tax return is going to be fairly simple and straightforward, you might want to go directly to the free online filing services that the IRS offers. It's a good choice for those who work and simply have information from a W2 to enter without any extra paperwork. It is a great free option for the vast majority of Americans, including those who are low income families.
If you make under $69,000 per year, you can prepare as well as file your federal form for free and be automatically referred to free options for filing your state return. The online system will walk you through steps to help simplify the process of filling out your state as well as federal government return.
If you make above $69,000 you can file your federal return online for free as well using the IRS website. However in those cases you are not eligible to use the automated assistance system or be referred to free online state return resources.
You may also be able to get in-person help for free at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center. Many cities have one of these; they're generally open during business hours Monday to Friday, and you'll need to call ahead to make an appointment. You can search for these by zip code at the IRS website.
MyFreeTaxes (United Way and H&R Block)
The myfreetaxes.com site is a partnership between the United Way and H&R Block. It's available to anyone who is not filing with Schedule C (used for independent businesses or freelancing), Schedule D (capital gains) or Schedule E (money from investments), and who makes less than $60,000 per year.
As with the IRS Free File option, this is best for those who work for a living and are entering just about all of their information from the W2 provided by their employer. In fact, you can just snap a picture of your W2 to pre-fill most of the necessary information with this service. In other words, this free income tax filing website is for more “simple” or straightforward returns.
One big difference here is that you can get direct help with both state and federal returns through this site, rather than being referred to another group for state tax help. MyFreeTaxes uses a modified version of the online software you would normally get when paying for H&R Block's premium filing services.
You'll be asked to make a free H&R Block account as part of this process and log in to their site, but you won't be charged anything. It's virtually the same as the paid access to their website except that you won't be able to use some advanced filing options meant for independent contractors / businesses and won't have access to their staff to ask questions.
Military OneSource MilTax
Members of the Armed Forces, veterans and their immediate families can get online tax assistance that is oriented to their specific needs through the MilTax program. You'll just need a Military OneSource account, which is a Department of Defense program that is free to all active and reserve service members and their family members.
Once you've got a Military OneSource account set up, navigate to the MilTax area to find online software that guides you through the tax prep and filing process. You'll get assistance with both your federal return and up to three state returns.
You can also get direct personal help from a specially trained military tax consultant. You can call a toll-free number or do a live chat to reach one of these consultants, or you can meet with one in person at certain VITA program locations (see above).
Military veterans may be able to get additional tax assistance through their local Department of Veterans Affairs office, and both TurboTax and TaxSlayer offer a free "military edition" to active duty and reserve members that has more features than the standard free version.
Credit Karma Tax
Credit Karma Tax offers you quite a bit of income tax preparation as well as filing services for free. You can file federal and state government returns online with them, and you'll get automated suggestions for deductions you may be eligible for. It is a great free income tax filing resource for gig economy employees or freelancers. You can upload photos of W2s and other documents to get forms auto-filled.
Credit Karma even offers a gift card (of up to $100) if they get your refund wrong and you receive less than you should. It can even be used by those who do independent contracting, have side hustles or receive capital gains income. And you can access any returns from previous years that you've filed through Credit Karma Tax, or import them from a number of other major online tax prep services.
So there must be a catch here, right? Surprisingly, there isn't much of one. You won't be pressured to upgrade to paid services or have to worry about hidden fees sneaking in, but there are some more advanced things that Credit Karma Tax can't do - for example, filing returns in more than one state or dealing with those who have complicated business or investment income situations. You also won't be able to get in-person help unless you have a really complex and unusual tax situation.
TurboTax Free Edition
Intuit's TurboTax offers a free online program that handles federal and state returns. It can either be downloaded to your computer or smart-phone, or done online. However, it is limited to pretty much the most basic employment situations.
If you work a 9-to-5 job of some sort and have no other income to report, the free TurboTax edition will probably work just fine for you. However, the free version doesn't support the filing of all sorts of supplementary IRS schedules needed to report other kinds of income - for things like running your own business and freelancing. It also doesn't support most of the deduction methods except for the standard one, for example, if you're deducting student loan interest or are applying for credit for dependent care.
If your situation doesn't fit the free version, you'll be prompted to upgrade to one of their paid packages which range from $45 to $200. The low cost income tax filing program is often great for freelancers as well as gig workers. It may be worth trying the free Turbotax version first before paying for the retail version of their software.
TaxAct
TaxAct offers pretty much the same deal that TurboTax does. This company is also great for simple returns with limited deductions as well as credits. You can file basic employment returns for free, but if you need to submit additional schedules or have various deductions and credits it probably won't be able to help you.
TaxSlayer Simply Free
TaxSlayer's free online filing program is similar to competitors TurboTax and TaxAct in that it only handles relatively simple and straightforward situations. It can be done on their website or from a downloadable software program. However, the terms are a little different.
This program requires you to make less than $100,000 to qualify. Others allow you to file for free if you're claiming the earned income credit; this one doesn't. It also won't work for you if you have any kind of itemized deductions, any kind of a business or investment income, or any dependents.
Final Notes
A number of companies provide their software for free for basic state as well as federal government income tax returns or they allow access to a website or online system. In general, the free products are for either (1) low to moderate income households or (2) families or individuals with more simple income tax returns.
When it comes to the income guidelines, they can and often do change each year. The software may also add new features, such as processing more complicated tax deductions or handling freelance worker scenarios, each year. The bottom line is there are a number of online websites as well as software applications that may be used to get help with and/or file income taxes for free
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