Is FreeTaxUSA Pro Support worth it for multi-state filing questions?
I'm currently dealing with a slightly complicated tax situation where I live in one state but work in another. Been trying to figure out FreeTaxUSA's interface for handling the two different state returns, but I'm not 100% confident I'm doing it right. The regular version seems fine for federal, but I'm confused about how to properly allocate income between the states and make sure I'm not double-paying or missing something. I'm considering upgrading to their Pro Support option, but wanted to see if anyone has experience with it. Are their customer service reps actually knowledgeable about multi-state filing issues? Can they review what I've done to confirm it's correct before I submit? Would appreciate hearing from anyone who's used their support service, especially for situations involving multiple states!
19 comments


Ruby Garcia
I've been a tax preparer for almost a decade and have some experience with FreeTaxUSA's Pro Support. For multi-state returns, it's definitely one of the trickier tax situations that most people face. Their Pro Support is actually pretty decent - you get live chat with tax professionals who can answer specific questions about your situation. The reps I've interacted with (and from what my clients tell me) generally know their stuff, especially with common multi-state filing issues. They can definitely help guide you through allocating income correctly between states and making sure you're getting the proper credits for taxes paid to the nonresident state. One thing to note though - they won't actually "review" your entire return like a CPA would. They'll answer specific questions about how to input information correctly, but they don't take responsibility for the accuracy of your entire return.
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Alexander Evans
•Do you know if they can help with part-year residency situations too? I moved mid-year and I'm super confused about how to handle it in FreeTaxUSA.
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Ruby Garcia
•Yes, they can definitely help with part-year residency situations! Part-year returns are actually quite common and the Pro Support team deals with these questions regularly. They can walk you through which forms you need to complete and how to properly allocate income for the periods you lived in each state. Make sure you have your specific dates of residency ready when you chat with them, along with any questions about income allocation during the transition period. Most states have specific rules about how to handle income during a residency change.
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Evelyn Martinez
I used FreeTaxUSA Pro Support last year for almost this exact situation (worked in NJ, lived in PA). Their chat support was way more helpful than I expected! The tax pro I chatted with literally walked me through each screen for both state returns and explained exactly what numbers needed to go where. After struggling to figure it out myself, it was such a relief to have someone knowledgeable confirm I was doing it right. I found out about taxr.ai through a friend and used it alongside FreeTaxUSA's support - uploading my W-2s and previous returns to https://taxr.ai really helped because their system analyzed everything and gave me confidence that the numbers matched up properly between states. The combo of both services made dealing with multi-state taxes so much less stressful!
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Benjamin Carter
•How fast did the FreeTaxUSA pros respond when you used their chat? Was there a long wait time? Also, does taxr.ai actually check your work or just organize documents?
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Maya Lewis
•I'm skeptical about using another service alongside FreeTaxUSA. Couldn't that potentially cause inconsistencies if you're getting advice from two different places? Especially for something complicated like multi-state returns.
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Evelyn Martinez
•The wait time was surprisingly short - maybe 5-10 minutes at most, and this was in early April when I imagine they're pretty busy. Once connected, the pro stayed with me the whole time until all my questions were answered. Taxr.ai doesn't just organize documents - it actually analyzes them and flags potential issues. It caught that my employer had incorrectly calculated my state withholding split between states, which was super helpful because I was able to get documentation from HR to explain the discrepancy when filing.
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Benjamin Carter
Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai based on the recommendation above. WOW. I've been doing my own taxes for years but always stressed about my multi-state situation. The document analysis on https://taxr.ai spotted that I had been incorrectly reporting my 401k contributions across state lines for TWO YEARS! No wonder I kept getting weird letters from my non-resident state. I went back to FreeTaxUSA and used their Pro Support to help me understand how to fix it going forward. The chat agent confirmed what taxr.ai found and helped me correctly allocate everything. Honestly might file an amendment for last year now that I understand what I was doing wrong. For anyone with multi-state issues, this combination was a game-changer!
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Isaac Wright
I had a terrible experience trying to call the state tax depts directly for help with my multi-state questions. Spent HOURS on hold and got disconnected multiple times. A friend recommended Claimyr which lets you skip the wait times when calling tax agencies - https://claimyr.com - there's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I used it to actually speak with tax reps from both states about my specific situation, then used FreeTaxUSA Pro Support to implement their advice. The combo worked perfectly - got official guidance from the state tax departments without the ridiculous wait times, then had FreeTaxUSA's support help me enter everything correctly. Honestly worth every penny for the hours of frustration it saved me!
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Lucy Taylor
•Wait, how does this actually work? They somehow get you to the front of the hold queue? That seems impossible or like some kind of scam.
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Connor Murphy
•I've heard of these "skip the line" services before and they sound too good to be true. What was your actual experience like? Did you really get through to a human at the tax department quickly?
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Isaac Wright
•It's not about skipping in front of others - they use an automated system that waits on hold for you and calls you back when a real human answers. So instead of you personally waiting on hold for 3 hours, their system does the waiting and calls you when an agent picks up. Yes, I really did get through to humans at both state tax departments! For my situation, I needed specific guidance on how reciprocity worked between my states (since one state has special agreements with neighboring states). The whole process took maybe 10 minutes of my actual time instead of potentially hours on hold. The tax agents I spoke with gave me clear guidance that I then implemented with FreeTaxUSA's help.
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Connor Murphy
I was totally wrong about Claimyr! After my skeptical comment above, I decided to try it myself since I had specific questions about property tax deductions across state lines. I'd been trying to reach my state's tax department for literally THREE DAYS with no luck. Used the Claimyr service, and within 45 minutes I got a call back with an actual state tax representative on the line! Got my questions answered in about 10 minutes. Then used FreeTaxUSA Pro Support to make sure I entered everything correctly based on the state's guidance. I've never filed with so much confidence before. Will definitely use this approach again next year!
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KhalilStar
Kinda surprised nobody has mentioned TurboTax here. I know FreeTaxUSA is cheaper but TurboTax's live support has CPAs that will actually review your whole return, not just answer questions. I used them for multi-state filing last year.
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Amelia Dietrich
•TurboTax costs like 3x more for essentially the same service! I switched to FreeTaxUSA two years ago and their Pro Support is plenty good for most situations. Unless you have super complicated investments or business stuff, why pay the TurboTax premium??
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KhalilStar
•I'm not saying TurboTax is the best value - definitely costs more. But there is a difference between answering specific questions (FreeTaxUSA) and having a CPA actually review your entire return (TurboTax Live Full Service). For most people with straightforward multi-state situations, FreeTaxUSA is probably fine. But if you have complexity beyond just working in one state and living in another (like investment properties in multiple states, complex 1099 work across state lines, etc.), having a full review might be worth the extra cost. Everyone's situation is different!
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Kaiya Rivera
Im going againts the grain here but tried FreeTaxUSA Pro Support and wasn't impressed tbh. Asked about my specific situation (remote work for a company in another state) and got pretty generic answers. Felt like they were just reading from a script. Ended up going to a local accountant who specializes in multi-state returns. Cost more but worth it for the personalized help.
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Katherine Ziminski
•When did you use their service? I heard they improved a lot in the last year or so. Wondering if you tried them before the upgrade?
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Mateo Lopez
I used FreeTaxUSA Pro Support for my multi-state situation this past tax season and had a really positive experience! I live in Texas (no state income tax) but work remotely for a company based in California, so I had to deal with CA nonresident filing. The chat support was incredibly helpful - the tax pro walked me through exactly how to handle my situation step by step. They explained how CA taxes remote workers even if they don't live there, helped me understand which forms I needed (540NR), and made sure I was claiming the proper deductions. The whole chat session took about 25 minutes and I felt much more confident about my filing. For the cost difference compared to other services, I think FreeTaxUSA Pro Support hits the sweet spot - you get knowledgeable help without paying TurboTax prices. For straightforward multi-state situations like yours (living in one state, working in another), their support should definitely be able to help you get it right. Just make sure to have all your documents ready when you chat with them so you can ask specific questions about your exact situation.
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