- Broad federal form coverage: Supports common W-2, 1099, investment, rental, K-1, and Schedule C situations in the individual return workflow.
- State filing: Prepares supported state returns alongside the federal return.
- Import tools: Imports prior FreeTaxUSA returns and supported tax-document data to reduce re-entry.
- Optional help: Adds priority support, screen sharing, or access to a tax professional without changing the underlying federal form coverage.
- Post-filing work: Supports amended returns and offers separate audit-defense assistance.
FreeTaxUSA
Online self-filing for individual federal and state tax returns
Updated August 12, 2026
FreeTaxUSA Overview
FreeTaxUSA is browser-based self-preparation software for individual federal and state income-tax returns. It walks filers through income, deductions, and credits, supports imports of prior returns and selected tax documents, and sends completed returns for electronic filing.
The same interview covers many individual situations, including investments, rental property, Schedule C work, and K-1 income. It does not prepare partnership or corporation returns, and optional expert help supports the filer rather than turning the service into full-service preparation.
Key Features
Pricing
| Plan or service | Current price | Billing and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Federal return | $0 | Federal preparation and e-file for supported individual tax situations. |
| State return | $15.99 per state | Preparation and filing for each supported state return. |
| Amended return | $16.98 | A separately priced amendment outside the included Deluxe amendment benefit. |
| Deluxe | $7.99 | Priority support, live chat, and unlimited amended returns under the current feature list. |
| Pro Support | $64.99 | Optional live help from a tax professional. |
| Audit Defense | $19.99 | Optional third-party assistance for a covered audit. |
The federal return stays at no charge. State filing, amendments, and optional help are separate choices.
Pricing source: FreeTaxUSA official pricing.
Pros
| Compared with | Why this product may fit better |
|---|---|
| TurboTax | FreeTaxUSA does not raise the federal price when a supported return includes investments, rental property, or Schedule C income. TurboTax may move those forms into a paid product, so filers can choose FreeTaxUSA based on support needs instead of paying more for federal form access. |
| H&R Block Online | FreeTaxUSA keeps broad federal form access at one $0 price and lists the state and support add-ons separately. H&R Block Online raises the federal price for several common schedules, so FreeTaxUSA can be easier to total for an investor, landlord, or sole proprietor. |
| TaxAct | FreeTaxUSA keeps a broad range of federal forms at $0 instead of limiting free filing to a simple return. Investors, landlords, and self-employed filers can avoid the paid federal tier that TaxAct requires for those schedules. |
| Cash App Taxes | FreeTaxUSA lets users add live tax-pro help or audit defense without changing filing services. Cash App Taxes has no comparable paid help path, so someone who wants a professional available can keep the return in FreeTaxUSA. |
Cons
| Compared with | Where this product may fall short |
|---|---|
| TurboTax | TurboTax has a more polished interview and stronger automated imports. A filer with many brokerage documents may spend less time checking manual entries in TurboTax even though FreeTaxUSA costs less. |
| H&R Block Online | With H&R Block Online, a filer can move the work to a local office or full-service preparer. FreeTaxUSA stays self-service, so someone who wants document drop-off, face-to-face help, or full delegation needs H&R Block or another provider. |
| TaxAct | TaxAct offers a downloadable desktop choice, while FreeTaxUSA is browser based. A filer who wants the return stored and prepared in local software may prefer TaxAct even though FreeTaxUSA’s federal filing costs less. |
| Cash App Taxes | Cash App Taxes supports a different set of forms and includes one supported state at $0. FreeTaxUSA excludes Form 2555, Form 1040-NR, and filing from outside the United States, so international users should check both products before entering data. |
Reviews
- Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards 2026 (more than 4,200 readers across all award categories): FreeTaxUSA won the overall tax-software award for the fourth straight year. Readers praised its ease of use, willingness to recommend it, overall satisfaction, low upfront cost, and lack of a bait-and-switch price path. The published sample covers Kiplinger’s full survey, not FreeTaxUSA alone.
- Trustpilot FreeTaxUSA profile (2.7/5 from 191 reviews): Positive reviewers often mention low cost and easy navigation. Recent complaints describe glitches, difficult multi-state W-2 handling, support that did not solve the issue, late discovery that e-file was unavailable, and friction when deleting forms or amending a return. Seventy-seven reviews were posted in the past year.
- Finder FreeTaxUSA review (one hands-on editorial review, updated July 2, 2026): The author used FreeTaxUSA for a 2025 return and liked its value and prior-return import. The same test found a basic interface, lighter guidance than large competitors, and an extra step to buy live help. Finder’s displayed state price is stale, so it is not used for Pricing.
