Don’t worry about paying taxes on the entire amount reported on Form 1099-K. You can claim your expenses directly related to your business, lowering your income reported on Form 1099-K. If you’ve already received a letter from the IRS for a return you filed with TurboTax, please review our Audit Support Guarantee for instructions on how to receive FREE step–by–step audit guidance and the option to connect with an expert.

If your tax situation has become more complicated, you might need to upgrade to a paid version. More complex situations typically call for the Deluxe version or higher. Intuit is a proud supporter of US military members, veterans, and their families in their communities and overseas. As a part of this commitment, we’re proud to provide free federal and state tax preparation to active duty and reservists of an enlisted rank (E-1 through E-9) with a W-2 from DFAS. You can verify the latest price by clicking through to each provider’s site.

During the process, they’ll also learn more about your unique situation so they can make sure your taxes are 100% correct before filing. You can speak to your tax expert on the phone, through a live one-way video call on your screen (you can see your tax expert, but they can’t see you), with an independent TurboTax Verified Pro where available. Your tax expert will ask you questions and provide advice as they prepare your return and get ready to file on your behalf. You can also communicate with your tax expert via the messaging center as needed. Our software will allow you to securely upload your tax documents to our system. You can give permission through the software to share your tax documents with your tax expert.

Big life changes? We’re ready to help.

A local tax expert matched to your unique situation will find every dollar you deserve and get your taxes done right – as soon as today. The goal is to get the features you need — without paying for upgrades you don’t. I did a few test tax returns in putting together this review, and I was surprised to find that the upsells actually varied from return to return.

• If you have a simple tax return (typically a 1040 with W-2 income, standard deduction, and limited credits), you may be able to file completely free.
• A local tax expert matched to your unique situation will find every dollar you deserve and get your taxes done right – as soon as today.
• This year, we’ve rated TurboTax as the best tax software provider overall.
• The goal is to get the features you need — without paying for upgrades you don’t.

TurboTax’s audit support

You also have the option to share your tax documents with your tax expert, if needed. Already, Intuit’s near-decade of deep expertise in AI-driven document understanding with TurboTax enables broad support for tax document import, upload, and photo capture, and auto-fill of a majority of tax returns, minimizing manual data entry. Tax season is fast approaching, and choosing the best tax software is a key step in preparing to file your taxes. We reviewed several tax software providers, and TurboTax is one of our top picks, largely because of its easy-to-navigate website and generally easy-to-follow tax-preparation process. Tax season can feel overwhelming, but the right software can simplify the process. TurboTax is one of the most popular tax filing options, known for its user-friendly interface, step-by-step guidance and features designed to help filers maximize refunds while minimizing errors.

Seniors may qualify for free filing with TurboTax if they have a simple tax return (Form 1040 with W-2, Social Security income, or standard deduction). The IRS Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) grant program also offers free tax help to those ages 60 or older. Millions of Americans have filed state and federal taxes for free using the TurboTax Free Edition. This option is specifically designed for taxpayers with simple tax returns. TurboTax gives everyone free audit support from a tax pro to help you understand what’s going on if you get that dreaded letter about your tax return; if TurboTax can’t connect you with a pro, you’ll get a refund, or $30 if you used the Free Edition. If you want someone to represent you in front of the IRS, you’ll need TurboTax’s audit defense product, called MAX.

You can decide to leave Full Service at any time before payment.Prices for paid products are determined based on the product you use and the time of print or e-file and are subject to change without notice. Special discount offers may not be valid for mobile in-app purchases.Your price could also change if you decide to upgrade your service level and add expert help, or if you choose to add other services like Audit Defense. TurboTax provides online tax preparation services for people to do their own taxes or access experts to prepare and file taxes for them, with TurboTax Live Full Service, TurboTax Live Assisted, helping people get their best tax outcome. Seamless experiences across TurboTax and Credit Karma, and TurboTax and QuickBooks, enable customers to file personal or business taxes within their preferred Intuit product.

Everything you need to know about taxes that you didn’t learn in school. Security Certification of the TurboTax Online application has been performed by C-Level Security.

• You’ll also find tax-saving credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and Child Tax Credit.
• If you don’t have your forms on hand, you can auto-import your info from your W–2s or 1099s directly from more than a million participating employers and financial institutions.
• We save your info automatically, so you can switch devices and pick up right where you left off.

State Taxes

When you’re ready to start, we’re ready to take taxes off your plate. “This tax season, we’re delivering on Intuit’s promise to millions of TurboTax customers to do the hard work for them—so they don’t have to,” said Intuit Chief Technology Officer Alex Balazs. If you prefer to sit down with a tax professional, heading to one of H&R Block’s offices may be a better route. If you feel confident in your tax knowledge, then TaxSlayer could be the perfect tax software program for you. While TurboTax simplifies the tax filing process, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.

You can switch back and forth between TurboTax online and the app seamlessly. That said, if you have a relatively straightforward return — or even a moderately complex return — you probably don’t need this level of support to accurately prepare your tax returns. For example, if on your tax return Intuit sees that based on the mortgage information you input that you may be able to qualify for a lower interest rate on your mortgage, Intuit will provide you with mortgage refinance offers. Remember, the TurboTax Free Edition is for people with incredibly simple tax situations, so I don’t really think they need this kind of support. Because the test tax return I was preparing at the time was a very simple return — just W-2 income — I found this offer for audit protection pretty distasteful.

TurboTax is especially well-suited for people filing simple tax returns — think W-2 income, student loan interest and a few common tax credits. While its free version works well for basic needs, paying for a higher tier can be worth it for the added support if your return is a bit more complicated. You referred to TurboTax Online as “desktop” when comparing it to the mobile app. TurboTax Desktop versions are paid for up front, either from TurboTax directly or through a retailer, and the program software is downloaded onto your computer where you will prepare your return. This differs from TurboTax Online (which is the product you are reviewing) where you sign in on a browser and complete the return. They also offer the ability to prepare up to 5 federal returns where online you can only prepare one for the cost you are paying.

TurboTax Review 2025: Best Overall Tax Software

If you’re a returning user, information from the previous tax year will be preloaded into the program. You’ll be asked about life changes that occurred in the last year that might affect your tax picture, such as if you bought a new home or started freelancing. Our reviewers — who are writers and editors on NerdWallet’s content team — do hands-on testing of every online DIY tax program featured in our analysis. By using these programs ourselves, we can provide detailed insights into the user experience. The paid packages — the Deluxe and Premium — fall on the more costly end of the spectrum.

The free package is designed for people with fairly simple tax returns. It won’t handle itemized deductions or the full Schedule 1, 2 or turbotax personal 3 of Form 1040, but it can handle W-2 income, basic credits like the child tax credit and the earned income credit and student loan interest deduction. TurboTax’s free options are available to taxpayers who have W-2 income and claim a handful of common credits and deductions, such as the standard deduction, earned income tax credit, child tax credit and student loan interest deduction.

Your tax expert will be able to see a read-only version of your tax return to assist them in addressing your questions. Your personal information (like SSN) will be masked so the expert can’t see it. You can receive your refund by check, whether you’re printing or e-filing.

Unlike some tax software that gives you a free federal return but then makes you pay to file your state return, the TurboTax Free Edition is free for both your federal and state returns. And in my opinion TurboTax truly does offer a bit more streamlined tax return preparation process than its less expensive competitors, but of course it’s not without its drawbacks. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Choose TurboTax Live Assisted Basic to get unlimited expert advice as you do your own taxes or TurboTax Live Full Service and let an expert do taxes for you, start to finish.

The company is also investing heavily in AI to help automate filing and catch potential mistakes in real-time. Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice – straight to your e-mail. Logan is a practicing CPA and founder of Choice Tax Relief and Money Done Right. After spending nearly a decade in the corporate world helping big businesses save money, he launched his blog with the goal of helping everyday Americans earn, save, and invest more money. That said, it comes at a high price point and has a habit of upselling its more robust features that you may not actually need.