Is FreeTaxUSA a good option for doing my taxes for the first time by myself?

Hey y'all, I'm super new to this whole adulting thing and have only filed taxes by myself twice so far. I've always gone to H&R Block but lately I've been seeing some pretty bad reviews for my local office, plus people saying they charge way too much for what they actually do. My tax situation is pretty straightforward I think - just W-2 income from my job at the coffee shop and some side gigs. I've heard a lot of people recommending FreeTaxUSA as a good alternative, but I'm honestly kinda nervous about trying it. What if I mess something up or enter information wrong? The whole tax filing process is still pretty intimidating to me. Has anyone here used FreeTaxUSA before? Is it actually user-friendly for tax noobs like me? I'm worried about getting confused halfway through and making a mistake that'll come back to haunt me later... Any advice would be super appreciated!

0 coins

18 comments

Abigail Spencer

•8M

I've been using FreeTaxUSA for the past 5 years and it's honestly really straightforward - especially for simple tax situations. The interface walks you through everything step by step, and they explain tax terms in plain English so you don't get lost in the jargon. The best part about FreeTaxUSA is that federal filing is actually free (unlike some other services that advertise as "free" but then charge you halfway through). You only pay about $15 for state filing, which is way cheaper than H&R Block's in-person service that can run $100+ for even basic returns. For a straightforward tax situation like yours, it should be pretty easy. The software asks you questions and you just input information from your W-2s. It also saves your information from year to year, which makes things even easier next time.

0 coins

Abigail Spencer

•8M

The software definitely explains the different forms and tax concepts as you go. They have little question mark icons next to terms that might be confusing, and when you click them, they give you a simple explanation of what things mean. Yes, you can absolutely go back and fix mistakes! That's one of the best features - you're not locked into anything until you actually file. You can save your progress, review everything, and make changes as needed. They also have a final review step that checks for potential errors or missed deductions before you submit.

0 coins

Logan Chiang

•8M

I was in your exact situation last year! After paying H&R Block almost $200 for a super basic return, I decided to try online filing. I actually tried a couple different services and found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to be AMAZING for first-timers. What's cool about it is you can actually upload pictures of your tax documents and it automatically extracts the information! I was nervous about doing my taxes myself too, but taxr.ai made it so much easier than I expected. You don't have to worry about entering things in the wrong places because it does the hard part for you. It was seriously a game-changer for me, especially with figuring out where all the numbers from my W-2 were supposed to go.

0 coins

Logan Chiang

•8M

You can just take pictures with your phone! I literally just snapped photos of my W-2 and 1099s and uploaded them. The interface walks you through how to take clear photos (good lighting, flat surface, etc.) so it can read everything properly. The accuracy is surprisingly good! I was skeptical at first too, but it got everything right from my forms. They do have you verify all the extracted information before proceeding, so you can catch anything that might not have scanned perfectly. It's way more accurate than manually typing everything, which is where most people make mistakes.

0 coins

Miles Hammonds

•8M

Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai! I decided to give it a try after posting my skeptical comment and I'm honestly shocked at how well it worked. The photo scanning feature extracted all my W-2 info perfectly, even the state withholding amounts that I was sure would get messed up. What really impressed me was how it explained everything in plain language as I went through. When it found a potential education credit I qualified for, it explained exactly why I was eligible in a way that actually made sense. That alone saved me over $1,000 I wouldn't have known about otherwise! Definitely going to use it again next year. So much easier than trying to decipher tax forms on my own.

0 coins

Ruby Blake

•8M

If you're doing simple taxes, FreeTaxUSA is fine, but just be aware that if you run into problems and need to contact the IRS, you might be in for a nightmare. I tried calling them about a missing refund last year and spent HOURS on hold, just to get disconnected. After the third failed attempt, I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) - they've got a demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c showing how it works. Basically, they hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when an actual human picks up. Saved me literally hours of listening to that horrible hold music. Not saying you'll need to call the IRS, but if you do your own taxes and then have questions or issues afterward, having this as a backup is super helpful.

0 coins

Ruby Blake

•8M

It's not sketchy at all! It's just like having someone else wait on hold for you. The service calls the IRS and waits in the queue, then when an agent picks up, they call your phone and connect you directly to that agent. The IRS just thinks it's you who's been waiting on hold the whole time. I completely understand your skepticism because I felt the same way. After spending 3+ hours on hold and getting disconnected multiple times, I was desperate enough to try anything. I was honestly shocked when I got a call back about 90 minutes later and was immediately connected to an actual IRS agent. No hold time on my end at all. It saved me an entire afternoon of frustration.

0 coins

Ella Harper

•8M

I need to eat my words from my previous comment. After another failed attempt to reach the IRS this week (2 hours on hold before getting disconnected AGAIN), I broke down and tried Claimyr. I'm actually shocked to say it worked exactly as advertised. I got a call back after about 45 minutes and was connected straight to an IRS representative. The agent helped me sort out an issue with my stimulus payment that had been causing problems with my return. Dealing with tax stuff still sucks, but at least I didn't have to waste half my day on hold. Wish I had known about this sooner.

0 coins

PrinceJoe

•8M

As someone who's been doing their own taxes for years, I'd say FreeTaxUSA is one of the better options out there, especially for beginners. I switched from TurboTax a few years ago because of the price difference, and I haven't looked back. Just a few tips for your first time: 1. Gather ALL your documents before you start (W-2s, 1099s, student loan interest statements, etc.) 2. Take your time and read the explanations 3. Don't be afraid to save your progress and come back later if you get confused 4. Use the "audit check" feature before submitting The software will catch most common mistakes, so try not to stress too much!

0 coins

PrinceJoe

•8M

FreeTaxUSA definitely handles student loan interest deductions well. They have a specific section for education expenses and loan interest where you can enter your 1098-E information. The software will walk you through exactly what qualifies and how much you can deduct. Most tax software, including FreeTaxUSA, is actually pretty good about guiding you through common deductions. Where the paid versions sometimes have an advantage is with more complex situations like self-employment, rental properties, or unusual investments. For standard deductions like student loan interest, education credits, and basic itemized deductions, the free version works great.

0 coins