FreeTaxUSA 2023 Software Now Available for Tax Estimation
Just got an exciting update in my inbox - FreeTaxUSA has released their 2023 software early! For anyone trying to figure out what they might owe or get back next filing season, you can actually start playing around with it now to get a ballpark estimate. I've been stressing about some extra income I had this year and wanted to see how it might impact my refund situation. I plugged in my current W-2 info and added estimates for what I'll earn through December, plus some 1099 work I did on the side. It gave me a pretty decent idea of where I'll stand. The interface seems pretty similar to last year's version. Just remember you can't actually FILE yet - this is just for planning purposes. But definitely helpful if you're trying to decide whether to make any tax moves before the end of the year!
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Omar Zaki
Tax professional here - using tax software for end-of-year planning is actually a really smart move that not enough people take advantage of. It can help you identify potential deductions you might be missing or alert you to a possible tax bill so you aren't surprised in April. With FreeTaxUSA specifically, make sure you look at their deduction finder tool which walks you through potential deductions you might qualify for. Also, if you're close to a tax bracket threshold, the software can help you determine if additional retirement contributions might lower your overall tax burden. Just a heads up that estimated numbers now might change slightly with final tax tables for 2023, but it should be pretty close for planning purposes.
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CosmicCrusader
•Quick question - does FreeTaxUSA let you estimate state taxes too or is it just federal? I moved mid-year from Texas to California so I'm trying to figure out this partial state residency nightmare.
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Omar Zaki
•You can definitely estimate state taxes with FreeTaxUSA. For your situation with a mid-year move, the software will guide you through the part-year resident process for California (since Texas doesn't have state income tax). Make sure you have documentation about when you established California residency. The software will ask for the specific date you moved and will prorate your income accordingly for state tax purposes. It handles these multi-state situations pretty well.
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Chloe Robinson
I was skeptical about tax software until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). I was using FreeTaxUSA last year and got stuck on some questions about my 1099 contractor income and home office deductions. I uploaded my documents to taxr.ai and it scanned everything, sorted my expenses into the right categories, and even spotted some deductions I was missing. Saved me hours of guesswork and probably got me a bigger refund too. If you're planning with FreeTaxUSA now but get stuck on the more complicated stuff, might be worth checking it out for the actual filing.
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Diego Flores
•Does taxr.ai work with FreeTaxUSA or would I need to switch to a different filing system? I've used FreeTaxUSA for years and really like their interface.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•I heard about these AI tax tools but was worried about accuracy. How does it handle more niche tax situations? I've got a small business, rental property, and did a partial 401k rollover this year.
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Chloe Robinson
•You can absolutely use taxr.ai alongside FreeTaxUSA. It doesn't replace your tax software - it analyzes your documents and then gives you clear instructions on exactly what to enter in FreeTaxUSA or whatever software you prefer. For complex tax situations, that's actually where it shines. It handles all the documentation for small businesses, rental properties, and retirement account transactions. It can sort through hundreds of receipts, categorize them properly, and identify the specific deductions that apply to your situation. The AI is trained on tax code and keeps up with all the recent changes.
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Anastasia Kozlov
Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I ended up trying it with my pile of unsorted business receipts and messy 1099s. I was seriously impressed! It correctly categorized all my business expenses, flagged some items that were partially deductible, and even found a home office deduction I didn't realize I qualified for. Then I just took that information and plugged it into FreeTaxUSA exactly as instructed. Ended up with about $2,300 more in refund than I was expecting. Definitely using this combo again next year.
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Sean Flanagan
If anyone's stuck waiting for their refund from last year still (I know a few people who are), I finally got through to the IRS using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). Had been on hold for HOURS with the IRS multiple times with no luck. Their system calls and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an actual human IRS agent is on the line. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was able to find out exactly why my refund was delayed (they needed verification of some education credits) and got it resolved in one call. Now I can focus on using FreeTaxUSA for next year instead of still fighting with last year's return!
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Zara Mirza
•Wait how does this actually work? They just call the IRS for you? Couldn't you just put your phone on speaker and do something else while on hold?
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NebulaNinja
•Yeah right. Nothing gets through to the IRS these days. I've been trying for 3 months to get someone on the phone about my missing $4,200 refund. I'll believe it when I see it.
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Sean Flanagan
•It's not just a matter of putting your phone on speaker. Claimyr uses a system that automatically navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you - which can be 2+ hours these days. You don't have to tie up your phone or sit around waiting. They call you specifically when a human agent is on the line ready to talk. Regarding skepticism, I get it completely. I tried calling the IRS myself 7 times before trying this. The problem isn't just the wait time - it's that the IRS phone system often disconnects you after waiting for an hour because their call volume is too high. Claimyr's system keeps trying until it gets through, and you only need to be available for the actual conversation with the agent.
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NebulaNinja
I take back what I said about Claimyr. Decided I had nothing to lose and tried it yesterday after waiting 3 months to hear about my refund. It actually worked! Took about 1.5 hours for them to get through the queue (while I went about my day), then they called me when an IRS agent was on the line. Found out my return had been flagged for ID verification due to a possible typo in my SSN. The agent processed the correction right there on the phone. Now I can actually start planning for next year using FreeTaxUSA instead of still fighting with last year's mess. Can't believe I wasted so much time trying to call myself.
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Luca Russo
Has anyone compared FreeTaxUSA with TurboTax or H&R Block? Thinking about switching this year since TurboTax keeps raising their prices. I've got a pretty simple return with just a W-2 and mortgage interest.
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Nia Wilson
•I switched from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA last year and saved like $70. FreeTaxUSA charges $0 for federal and only $14.99 for state, while TurboTax wanted to charge me like $89 total for basically the same service. The interface isn't quite as slick but it gets the job done and asks all the same questions. For a simple return like yours it's a no-brainer.
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Mateo Sanchez
•One thing to consider - if you have used TurboTax in previous years, FreeTaxUSA can't import your previous return data directly. You'll need to manually enter some info the first time. Not a huge deal but something to be aware of.
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Aisha Mahmood
question - if I estimate now using FreeTaxUSA 2023 software and create an account, can I just log back in when I have my actual W-2 and 1099 forms and file from there? or would I need to start over?
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Omar Zaki
•You should be able to log back in and update the information without starting over. FreeTaxUSA saves your work, so when you receive your actual tax documents, you can simply replace the estimated numbers with the final figures. I recommend creating a separate account just for planning if you want to play around with different scenarios. That way your actual filing account stays clean with only your real data when you're ready to file.
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Carmen Ortiz
Thanks for the heads up about the early release! I've been using FreeTaxUSA for the past few years and really appreciate being able to do tax planning before the rush. One tip I'd add - if you're estimating now, make sure to save different scenarios. I usually create versions with conservative estimates and then more optimistic projections to see the range of what I might owe or get back. Also worth noting that if you have any major life changes planned (marriage, new job, etc.), you can model those too to see how they'd impact your taxes. Really helps with financial planning for the year ahead.
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Sean Flanagan
•That's a great strategy about creating different scenarios! I'm new to using tax software for planning ahead like this. When you say "save different scenarios" - do you literally create multiple accounts, or is there a way within FreeTaxUSA to save different versions of your return? I'd love to model what happens if I max out my IRA contribution vs. not contributing at all, but I don't want to accidentally mess up my main estimate.
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