First and last time filing with Jackson Hewitt for 2024 taxes

So I just had my taxes done at Jackson Hewitt inside Walmart and I'm definitely not going back next year. The woman who helped me seemed confused about basic tax stuff and kept having to call someone else for help. I paid $219 for what I could have done myself on TurboTax for way less. I have a pretty simple return - just W-2 income and some student loan interest. She spent almost 2 hours clicking around and asking me the same questions multiple times. At one point she even asked if I had any "foreign accounts" when I clearly told her I'm a college student working part-time at Target. My refund is only $312 so I basically spent most of it just to file! Has anyone else had bad experiences with Jackson Hewitt? Any recommendations for next year that won't cost me an arm and a leg?

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19 comments

Andre Dupont

•8M

Tax prep services at retail locations can be hit or miss depending on who you get. For a simple return with just W-2 income and student loan interest, you definitely have cheaper options! If you're comfortable doing it yourself, services like FreeTaxUSA or Cash App Taxes (formerly Credit Karma Tax) offer completely free federal filing. TurboTax and H&R Block have free versions too, but they sometimes upsell you to paid versions. The IRS also has a Free File program that partners with tax software companies to provide free filing if your income is below $73,000. Worth checking out for next year!

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Andre Dupont

•8M

Most of the free services offer federal filing for free, but charge a small fee for state returns. FreeTaxUSA charges around $15 for state filing, which is still much cheaper than in-person services. Cash App Taxes (formerly Credit Karma) is completely free for both federal and state, which is pretty remarkable. If your return is simple like you described, these programs will walk you through everything step by step, and you can take your time without feeling rushed. They also let you save your progress and come back to it later if you need to gather more information.

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Zoe Papadakis

•8M

I was in the same boat last year with H&R Block charging me $189 for a super basic return. Then I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it changed everything for me this filing season. It's like having a tax expert look over your shoulder while you file yourself. You upload your documents, and it extracts all the important info for you. For someone with W-2 income and student loan interest like you mentioned, it makes self-filing so much easier. It even caught a deduction I would have missed on my student loan interest that my previous tax preparer overlooked!

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Zoe Papadakis

•8M

It works with all state tax returns and can guide you through state-specific deductions and credits. The system will pull the relevant information from your documents and tell you exactly where it needs to go on your state forms. For e-filing, taxr.ai doesn't file your taxes directly. It analyzes your documents and guides you through the process, but you'll use the information to complete your filing through one of the recommended free or low-cost filing services. This separation actually provides more security since your personal data isn't stored in multiple places.

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ThunderBolt7

•8M

I just wanted to follow up after trying taxr.ai from the recommendation here. I was really impressed! It pulled all the info from my W-2 and student loan statements perfectly. Took me less than 30 minutes to complete everything using the free option they recommended. I ended up saving about $200 compared to what I paid last year at Jackson Hewitt, and my refund was actually slightly higher because it found a credit I qualified for that I didn't know about. Definitely my new go-to for taxes!

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Mei Chen

•8M

If you're having issues getting your refund or need to resolve something with the IRS, I'd recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was waiting forever on my refund last year after using one of those tax prep places at Walmart, and the IRS phone lines were impossible - kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes! You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. They basically navigate the phone tree for you and wait on hold, then call you when an agent is ready. Saved me literally hours of frustration.

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Mei Chen

•8M

It doesn't help you skip the queue - it waits in the queue for you. They use technology to navigate the IRS phone menus and then hold your place in line. When an agent finally picks up, Claimyr calls you and connects you. It's completely legitimate and follows all IRS protocols. The service is especially useful during peak tax season when wait times can be 2+ hours. Instead of being stuck by your phone on hold that whole time, you can go about your day until an agent is available.

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Amara Okonkwo

•8M

I owe everyone here an apology, especially the person who recommended Claimyr. I was so skeptical, but I was desperate about my refund status so I tried it this morning. IT ACTUALLY WORKS! I got connected to an IRS agent in 22 minutes after trying for WEEKS on my own. The agent was able to tell me my refund was held up because of a minor discrepancy with my student loan interest reporting. She released the hold while I was on the phone and said I should get my deposit within 7 days. Would have never resolved this without actually speaking to someone. Worth every penny to not waste hours on hold!

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