- Guided online preparation: Step-by-step questions take a filer from account setup through federal and state e-file.
- Situation-based editions: TaxAct separates simple returns from homeowner, investment, rental, and self-employment needs.
- Imports and tracking: Supported prior-year returns, W-2s, and 1099s can be imported, and the refund or balance updates during preparation.
- Error checks and guarantees: The online flow scans for issues before filing and is covered by the vendor’s stated accuracy and maximum-refund terms.
- Optional expert routes: TaxAct offers live advice, return review, and full-service preparation separately from the DIY workflow.
TaxAct
Guided online self-filing for individual federal and state returns
Updated August 12, 2026
TaxAct Overview
TaxAct Online is a consumer tax-preparation service for people filing their own federal and state individual returns. Its guided interview covers simple W-2 returns as well as homeowner deductions, investments, rental property, cryptocurrency, and self-employment when the filer selects the matching edition.
Filers can import prior-year returns and tax forms, follow step-by-step questions, track the expected refund or balance, run error checks, and e-file online. Expert help can be added, but this page is not TaxAct Professional and it does not describe the separate desktop or business-entity products.
Key Features
Pricing
| Plan or service | Current price | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Free Online | $0 federal, $54.99 per state | Qualifying Form 1040 situations without the listed schedules or added complexity. |
| Deluxe | $59.99 federal, state additional | Homeowner deductions, childcare expenses, loans, HSA items, and broader deductions. |
| Premier | $99.99 federal, state additional | Investment and crypto sales, home sales, and rental-property income. |
| Self-Employed | $109.99 federal, state additional | Freelance, contractor, side-gig, sole-proprietor, and single-member LLC income. |
| All-Inclusive Bundle | $179.99 | Federal and one state return plus the listed refund-transfer, audit-defense, and e-file-concierge components. |
| Expert-help add-on | $60 on product selection, $45 on the Free Edition page | Two live official pages show different amounts. Confirm the amount in checkout before adding expert help. |
Free to start: TaxAct lets users prepare and preview a return without charge. Payment is due when they print or e-file, and no day limit is published.
Pricing sources: official product-selection page and official Free Edition page.
Pros
| Compared with | Why this product may fit better |
|---|---|
| TurboTax | TaxAct lists lower federal prices than TurboTax for several comparable paid consumer products while still covering investments and self-employment. A self-filer can see where each tax situation enters the TaxAct price ladder before deciding whether TurboTax’s more polished guidance is worth more. |
| H&R Block Online | TaxAct’s Self-Employed federal price is lower than H&R Block Online’s current price before state filing. A filer who wants online guidance and optional expert help can stay in TaxAct without paying for H&R Block’s office network. |
| FreeTaxUSA | TaxAct offers a more structured tiered interview and lets users add tax-pro questions or a return review. FreeTaxUSA is cheaper for many returns, but a filer who wants guided help inside the same account may prefer TaxAct. |
Cons
| Compared with | Where this product may fall short |
|---|---|
| TurboTax | TurboTax has a more polished interview and stronger navigation for many first-time users. TaxAct reviews mention trouble returning to a specific section, so filers with many forms should test imports, editing, and help access early. |
| H&R Block Online | H&R Block Online can hand a return to a local office or preparer. TaxAct offers online experts and full service, but it cannot match H&R Block’s national in-person network when someone wants to drop off documents. |
| FreeTaxUSA | Investment, rental, and self-employment forms trigger paid federal tiers instead of remaining free. Investors, landlords, and self-employed filers should compare the complete federal tier price because those forms remain within FreeTaxUSA’s $0 federal model. |
| Cash App Taxes | Cash App Taxes keeps supported federal and one-state filing at $0. TaxAct’s free rules are narrower, state filing costs extra, and expert help can raise the bill, so users should total every required service before starting. |
Reviews
- Trustpilot TaxAct reviews (4.0/5 from 8,243 reviews): Filers often praise the step-by-step flow, prefilled data, error checks, and ease of completing a return. Current complaints mention price surprises, difficulty moving back to a specific page, lag, slower AI-assisted steps, and trouble entering an extension confirmation number.
- Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards 2026 (no TaxAct-specific score or sample count published): Readers rated TaxAct highly for ease, recommendation, and overall satisfaction, calling it easy to navigate, efficient, thorough, and accurate. Kiplinger’s TaxAct section does not publish a negative theme, so this is a positive survey signal rather than a balanced product test.
- Forbes Advisor TaxAct review (3.8/5 editorial rating): Forbes praises free technical support, lower paid federal prices than major brands, and clear step-by-step guidance. It criticizes the lack of free state filing, a basic interface, limited expert-support hours, and reports of checkout fees or app glitches. This is an editorial score, not a user sample.
- Reddit TaxAct discussion (21 matched post and comment records, no aggregate rating): Users report easy personal and 1120-S preparation and one account of e-filing Form 8621 with an attached PDF after live-support help. Other comments describe rising prices, unclear prompts, a failed 1099 import, a return that would not reopen, and unhelpful support. These are individual filing experiences rather than an aggregate product rating.
