Cash App Taxes now offers free filing that was previously on Credit Karma - Intuit now owns CK and redirects to paid TurboTax
So I was trying to do my taxes and went to Credit Karma like last year expecting to file for free. But guess what? They're now redirecting everyone to Intuit/TurboTax which is definitely NOT free. Such a bummer. After digging around, I found out that if you want to file for free, you need to go to Cash App Taxes instead. It's literally the exact same interface that was on Credit Karma before. It lets you file federal and one state for free, and includes all the forms I've needed. The best part? If you filed with Credit Karma Tax previously, all your information is already saved there! Here's the backstory: Intuit (the TurboTax people) bought Credit Karma, but the Justice Department stepped in and made them spin off the tax prep part of the business. That tax service became Cash App Taxes. Last year, Credit Karma was still directing people to the free Cash App Taxes option, but now they're pushing people toward paid Intuit products instead. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up since most of the free file information online is outdated (last updated around 2020) and doesn't mention this change. Don't get tricked into paying when you can still file for free!
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Zoe Papadopoulos
Tax professional here. This is absolutely correct information that everyone should be aware of. When Intuit acquired Credit Karma, antitrust concerns required them to divest the tax preparation service. Block, Inc. (formerly Square) acquired the tax service and integrated it into their Cash App ecosystem. Cash App Taxes does offer completely free federal and one state filing with support for most tax situations. However, there are some limitations worth noting. Cash App Taxes doesn't support multiple state filings, foreign earned income, or trust income. It also doesn't allow you to file in states with no income tax if you have local taxes in those states. If you previously used Credit Karma Tax, your information should indeed transfer over to Cash App Taxes. Just log in with the same credentials you used before.
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Jamal Washington
•Does Cash App Taxes handle self-employment income and expenses? I have a side gig and wondering if it can handle Schedule C stuff or if I need to pay for TurboTax Self-Employed.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•Yes, Cash App Taxes handles self-employment income and Schedule C quite well. They support reporting business income, expenses, and calculating self-employment tax without any additional fees. For most side gigs and small businesses, their Schedule C functionality is perfectly adequate. The interface walks you through entering your income and categorizing your business expenses just like the paid alternatives.
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Mei Wong
I just wanted to share my experience with taxr.ai after discovering it while looking for alternatives to Credit Karma. When Intuit bought Credit Karma and then redirected me to TurboTax (wanting to charge me $89!), I was pretty frustrated trying to figure out my options. I tried Cash App Taxes but got confused with some 1099 documentation I received. I stumbled upon https://taxr.ai when searching for help and it was exactly what I needed. I uploaded my tax documents, and the system analyzed everything automatically. It identified all my income sources correctly and showed me which forms I needed to complete. The best part was it helped me understand which deductions I qualified for based on my documentation. The clarity it provided gave me confidence to complete my filing through Cash App Taxes without worrying I was missing something.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•How long did it take for the system to analyze all your documents? I have like 8 different 1099s this year plus some investment stuff.
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PixelWarrior
•Does it actually give you filing advice or just organize your documents? I'm confused about how it's different from just using tax software directly.
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Mei Wong
•The analysis took less than 5 minutes for all my documents. I had 3 different 1099s, a W-2, and some investment documents, and it processed everything quickly. With 8 documents, it might take a bit longer, but I'd be surprised if it took more than 10 minutes total. It does both document organization and provides specific filing guidance. It doesn't just sort your documents - it actually extracts the information from them and identifies specific tax implications. For example, it flagged that one of my 1099-NECs didn't have any tax withholding, which meant I needed to look at estimated tax payments. It also identified potential deductions based on my specific situation that I wouldn't have known to look for in regular tax software.
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PixelWarrior
Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after trying it this weekend. I was skeptical about how helpful it would actually be compared to just using tax software directly, but it seriously saved me hours of headache! I uploaded all my documents (had a messy mix of W-2, 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, and some investment stuff), and it organized everything perfectly. The summary it created showed me exactly which forms I needed and highlighted several deductions I would have missed. It even flagged a potential issue with one of my 1099s that had incorrect information I needed to get corrected. After using the analysis, I went to Cash App Taxes with a clear roadmap of exactly what I needed to enter and where. Made the whole process way smoother than previous years when I was just figuring it out as I went along.
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Amara Adebayo
After getting frustrated with the Credit Karma redirect to TurboTax (they wanted $120 for my "complicated" return!), I was spending HOURS trying to get through to the IRS to ask about free filing options. Kept getting the "due to high call volume" message and disconnects. I found https://claimyr.com and watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - thought it seemed too good to be true but was desperate. They actually got me connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for days! The agent confirmed that Cash App Taxes is indeed part of the Free File program and would handle my situation (self-employed with a home office deduction). Just wanted to share since it saved me from paying for TurboTax unnecessarily. The IRS agent was super helpful once I actually got through to them.
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Giovanni Rossi
•Wait, how exactly does this work? Do they just call the IRS for you? I don't understand how they can get through when nobody else can.
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Fatima Al-Mansour
•Sounds like a scam to me. Nobody can get through to the IRS these days. I've been calling for weeks about my refund and just get automated messages.
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Amara Adebayo
•They don't call for you - they hold your place in line in the IRS phone system. When you sign up, they use an automated system to navigate the IRS phone tree and wait on hold. When they finally connect with an agent, you get a call to join the conversation. You speak directly with the IRS agent yourself. It works because their system can stay on hold indefinitely while most of us would have to give up after an hour or two. I was skeptical too until I tried it. I spoke directly with an IRS agent and got my questions answered about which free filing option would work for my situation with multiple income sources.
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Fatima Al-Mansour
Well I need to eat my words and apologize. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try Claimyr anyway since I was desperate to talk to someone about my refund status. I couldn't believe it actually worked! After weeks of trying to get through on my own, I was connected to an IRS representative in about 35 minutes. The agent was able to look up my return and confirm it was processing but had been flagged for a manual review. She gave me a timeframe for when it should be completed and explained exactly what was happening. The peace of mind alone was worth it, and I was able to confirm that Cash App Taxes is legitimate for free filing. The agent even gave me some tips about documentation I should keep for next year to make filing easier.
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Dylan Evans
Just a tip: make sure you actually go directly to the Cash App Taxes website or app. Don't click through from Credit Karma because they're now sending people to TurboTax. I almost got tricked into paying $89 for TurboTax when I could file the exact same return for free! Another thing to note is that if you need to file multiple state returns, Cash App Taxes won't work for you since they only support one state filing for free. In that case, you might want to check out FreeTaxUSA which charges $0 for federal and around $15 per state.
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Sofia Gomez
•Do you know if Cash App Taxes handles cryptocurrency transactions? I did some trading last year and TurboTax wants to charge me for their "premier" tier just for that.
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Dylan Evans
•Yes, Cash App Taxes does handle cryptocurrency transactions. You can report crypto sales and exchanges without being forced into a paid tier. The interface is pretty straightforward - you enter each transaction with the purchase date, cost basis, sale date, and sale amount. If you have a lot of transactions though, it can get tedious since you have to enter them manually. Some of the paid services offer direct import from exchanges, which Cash App Taxes doesn't have. But if you're willing to do a bit more manual work, you can absolutely report crypto for free.
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StormChaser
Is Cash App Taxes actually reliable though? I'm nervous about using something connected to a payment app for my taxes. Has anyone had issues with accuracy or audits?
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Dmitry Petrov
•I've used it for the past three years (back when it was Credit Karma Tax and now as Cash App Taxes) and never had any issues. The software asks all the same questions as TurboTax and other paid options. I had a somewhat complicated return with freelance income, investments, and a home office deduction, and it handled everything correctly. The interface is actually cleaner than TurboTax in my opinion - less upselling and scary warnings designed to make you upgrade. Just straightforward questions about your tax situation.
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