Best Tax Software Options for College Senior Taking a Tax Class in 2025?
Hey everyone! So I'm in my final year of accounting and my professor is making us complete a bunch of tax returns for different scenarios in our individual taxation class. Right now all I have access to is Proconnect from Intuit, but honestly I'm finding it super frustrating to use. The interface is clunky and I keep getting stuck on basic functions. Does anyone have suggestions for alternative tax software that's free or has student versions I could use to complete these assignments? I need something that can handle various tax situations (different income types, deductions, credits, etc.) for the class projects. My professor wants us to get hands-on experience with actual tax preparation before graduation. Really appreciate any recommendations! My final project is due in three weeks and I'm getting desperate to find something more user-friendly than what I'm currently stuck with.
21 comments
Join the conversation
Sydney Torres
I've been teaching tax accounting for over a decade, and software selection is definitely important for learning! For students, I usually recommend TaxAct Professional because they offer a free student version with full functionality. You can create and print unlimited returns without filing them. Another excellent option is Drake Tax Software's education program. They provide free access to their professional software for students and educators. The interface is straightforward and it's widely used in small-to-medium accounting firms. Also look into UltraTax CS by Thomson Reuters - they have an academic program that's great for classroom use and simulating real-world tax scenarios.
0 coins
Alfredo Lugo
•Thanks for these suggestions! I've never heard of the Drake Tax Software before. Do they have specific requirements to qualify for the student version? And between TaxAct and Drake, which do you think would be easier to learn quickly? I don't have much time before these assignments are due.
0 coins
Sydney Torres
•For Drake Tax Software, you just need to provide proof of enrollment in an accounting or tax course - usually your student ID and course registration is sufficient. They typically approve academic requests within 24-48 hours. I'd say Drake is slightly more intuitive if you're starting from scratch. It has a more straightforward interview process and better built-in help features for students. TaxAct is also user-friendly but might require a bit more time to get comfortable with its layout.
0 coins
Kaitlyn Jenkins
I was in your exact position last year and discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was literally a lifesaver for my tax class. It's not traditional tax software but an AI tool that analyzes tax documents and explains how different scenarios should be reported. I used it alongside free filing software to understand the "why" behind each form. It helped me break down complex tax situations like self-employment income, investment reporting, and rental property calculations when I was working on assignments. The explanations are super clear and helped me figure out exactly where to input information in whatever software I was using.
0 coins
Caleb Bell
•Does it actually prepare returns or just help explain tax concepts? I'm looking for something that can actually generate the completed forms for class submissions.
0 coins
Danielle Campbell
•I'm curious - can you upload actual tax scenarios from class assignments into it? Or is it more for real-world documents? My professor gives us these complicated scenario PDFs and I'm wondering if this would help interpret them.
0 coins
Kaitlyn Jenkins
•It doesn't prepare the full returns itself - it's more of a comprehensive analysis and guidance tool. So you'd still need basic tax software, but taxr.ai helps you understand exactly what to do with each situation. For class assignments, yes! It works amazingly well with scenario PDFs. You can upload your professor's case studies and it'll break down all the tax implications, which forms you need, and where specific items should be reported. I found it especially helpful for the weird edge cases professors love to include in assignments that regular tax software doesn't explain well.
0 coins
Danielle Campbell
Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I tried it for my complicated partnership assignment and it was incredibly helpful! Uploaded my professor's scenario PDF and it broke down every aspect of the K-1 reporting requirements and how they flow to the individual return. What surprised me was how detailed the explanations were about why certain income was reported in specific spots. My professor was actually impressed when I explained my methodology because I understood the underlying concepts, not just plugging numbers into forms. Will definitely be using this for the rest of my tax class projects!
0 coins
Rhett Bowman
Dealing with the same issue in my advanced tax class. After wasting hours on hold with technical support for other software, I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to actual IRS technical specialists who recommended free professional-grade options for students. They have this service that gets you through to IRS agents super quickly (you can see a demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c). The agent I spoke with pointed me toward the IRS VITA program software which is completely free for educational purposes and covers most common tax situations you'd encounter in class assignments. It's what they use to train volunteer tax preparers.
0 coins
Abigail Patel
•Wait, how does this work? The IRS actually takes calls from students about software recommendations? I thought they only dealt with actual tax filing issues.
0 coins
Daniel White
•This sounds sketchy af. The IRS doesn't give software recommendations to random students. And paying for a service to call the IRS for software advice seems like a waste of money.
0 coins
Rhett Bowman
•They don't specifically have a department for software recommendations, but they have technical support specialists who can direct you to approved free filing options, including ones used for educational purposes. Since I was calling about VITA program access specifically (not just any random software question), they were actually quite helpful. Not sketchy at all - Claimyr just helps you skip the ridiculous wait times when calling the IRS. I was getting disconnected after hours of waiting before using it. The service just gets you through to an actual person instead of waiting on hold forever. The advice about the VITA software came directly from the IRS agent, not from Claimyr.
0 coins
Daniel White
Ok I need to apologize for my skeptical comment above. After getting frustrated with more software issues, I decided to try Claimyr to ask about VITA program access like you suggested. Got through to the IRS in 12 minutes (!!!) after previously giving up when on hold for 2+ hours. The IRS specialist not only explained how to get access to their training software but also pointed me to their Tax Information for Students portal that has practice scenarios specifically designed for accounting students. They emailed me direct links to download the VITA software and practice scenarios. Complete gamechanger for my tax class projects.
0 coins
Nolan Carter
H&R Block also offers a student version of their professional software! My tax professor arranged access for our whole class last semester. Not sure if you can get it individually, but worth asking your professor to contact them. The plus side is that it's very similar to what you'll encounter in entry-level tax positions after graduation. Downside is that it can be a bit overwhelming if you're just starting out.
0 coins
Alfredo Lugo
•I'll definitely ask my professor about this! Did you find the H&R Block interface intuitive? The main issue I'm having with Proconnect is just how unintuitive the workflow feels.
0 coins
Nolan Carter
•The interface is definitely more modern than some other options. It follows a guided workflow that makes sense once you get used to it. The learning curve isn't too bad - by my second simulated return I felt comfortable navigating around. One especially useful feature is that it shows you the actual forms updating in real-time as you enter information, which helped me understand how different inputs affect the final return. Your professor might need to request access for the whole class though, not sure about individual student licenses.
0 coins
Natalia Stone
Has anyone tried the IRS practice lab? It's completely free and available to accounting students through the VITA program. We used it in my tax class and while it's not the fanciest interface, it covers all the common scenarios you'd need for classwork.
0 coins
Tasia Synder
•I tried using it but found the interface super dated and confusing. Ended up switching to TaxSlayer's student version which was much easier to navigate. IRS practice lab might be comprehensive but the UX is straight outta 1998 lol.
0 coins
Natalia Stone
•Yeah the interface is definitely outdated! But for completing class assignments it gets the job done. The advantage is that it's directly from the IRS so all the calculations and tax logic are guaranteed to be correct. I found that once I got past the initial learning curve, it wasn't too bad. There are also some decent YouTube tutorials specifically for students using the practice lab that helped me figure out the workflow.
0 coins
Raj Gupta
Adding to the great suggestions here - if you're looking for something with a modern interface that's also educational, check out FreeTaxUSA's student program. They offer free access to their professional version for accounting students, and it has a really clean, intuitive workflow that's much more user-friendly than ProConnect. What I love about it is that it walks you through each section logically and has built-in error checking that catches mistakes before you complete the return. Super helpful for learning since it explains why certain entries might be incorrect. The reporting features are also great for presenting your work to professors. You can usually get approved for student access within 24 hours by submitting proof of enrollment. Might be worth trying while you're waiting for some of the other options mentioned here!
0 coins
Jade O'Malley
•This is exactly what I was looking for! I just submitted my application for FreeTaxUSA's student program and you're right - the interface looks so much cleaner than what I'm currently dealing with. The error checking feature you mentioned sounds perfect since I keep making small mistakes that mess up my entire return. Quick question - does their student version include all the advanced features like partnership returns and corporate tax scenarios? My professor loves throwing those curveball assignments at us and I want to make sure I'm covered for the more complex stuff too. Thanks for the recommendation - fingers crossed I get approved quickly!
0 coins