Is FreeTaxUSA still the most reliable/affordable option for filing your taxes in 2025?

Just wanted to check in with everyone before tax season really gets going. About 3 years ago I realized I was wasting close to $75 with TurboTax to file my pretty simple tax situation - just a single W2, my 1095 HSA form, and some basic interest income. No dependents, no fancy deductions, no charitable contributions to track, and my property taxes aren't high enough to itemize. My taxes are pretty straightforward and probably take someone 15 minutes tops to complete. A friend told me about FreeTaxUSA back in 2023 and I was shocked at how user-friendly and affordable it was. I think it's still $0 for federal and around $15 for state filing. Before I jump back in this year, just wondering if FreeTaxUSA is still the go-to for most people with simple tax situations? Or would you recommend something else over FreeTaxUSA for someone with just a W2 and an HSA? Don't want to overpay but also want reliable service.

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18 comments

Yuki Tanaka

•8M

FreeTaxUSA is still a solid choice for straightforward tax situations like yours. I've been using it for the past 4 years and find it handles W2s, HSAs, and basic investment income very efficiently. The interface is less flashy than TurboTax or H&R Block, but it gets the job done without the upsells. For someone with just a W2 and HSA form, you're in their sweet spot. They haven't changed their pricing structure much - federal is still free and state is around $15, which is way less than what the big names charge. They also support all the necessary forms for most taxpayers, and their customer service is surprisingly responsive if you run into issues.

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Yuki Tanaka

•8M

FreeTaxUSA does handle cryptocurrency transactions, but it's a manual process where you'll need to enter each transaction rather than having automatic imports from exchanges. If you have just a handful of trades, it's manageable. If you have dozens or hundreds of transactions, you might want to use crypto tax software to generate the necessary forms first, then import the summary to FreeTaxUSA. For a W2 plus some basic trading, it should work fine as long as you have your transaction records organized. Their help section has decent guidance on reporting crypto.

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Andre Laurent

•8M

I was in the same boat as you last year - tired of paying TurboTax $70+ for my super basic return. After struggling through their endless upsells and "are you SURE you don't want audit protection?" screens, I finally tried taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was such a refreshing experience. The thing I loved most was how it automatically analyzed my tax documents without me having to manually type everything in. Just uploaded my W2 and 1095 HSA form, and it pulled all the info correctly. No annoying "premium" features locked behind paywalls like the big tax services do. And the explanations were in plain English instead of tax jargon.

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Andre Laurent

•8M

Yes, it handles 1099 income really well. You just upload your 1099-NECs and it extracts all the information automatically, then walks you through any business expenses you might be able to deduct. Much easier than manually entering everything. The main difference from FreeTaxUSA is the document analysis technology. Instead of manually typing in numbers from your tax forms, you just upload images or PDFs of your documents, and it extracts everything automatically. It also gives clearer explanations of tax concepts as you go, which I found really helpful for understanding things like HSA contributions and the self-employment tax calculations.

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Liam Mendez

•8M

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I was skeptical in my earlier comment but decided to give it a try this weekend. Man, what a game changer! I uploaded my W2, my 1095-HSA and even a 1099-INT from my bank and it pulled all the info perfectly. Saved me from typing in all those little boxes and double-checking numbers. The explanations about HSA contribution limits actually helped me realize I could contribute a bit more for 2024 before the deadline, which might save me about $200 in taxes. The whole process took maybe 30 minutes including creating an account. Definitely sticking with this for next year too!

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Sophia Nguyen

•8M

If your main issue with tax filing is getting through to the IRS when you have questions or problems, I'd recommend checking out Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent HOURS last year on hold trying to ask about an issue with my HSA reporting, and eventually just gave up. This year I found Claimyr and it completely changed my experience. They basically wait on hold with the IRS for you, then call you when an agent is actually ready to talk. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I was connected with an actual IRS person in about 45 minutes while I just went about my day instead of being stuck listening to hold music.

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Sophia Nguyen

•8M

They don't have a special connection to the IRS - they use an automated system that calls the IRS and navigates the phone tree, then waits on hold for you. When an agent finally picks up, their system calls your phone and connects you directly to that agent. It's basically outsourcing the hold time. I was skeptical too, but it's legit. They don't make the IRS answer faster - they just handle the waiting part so you don't have to sit there for hours. I was surprised too, but after waiting 3+ hours myself last year and getting disconnected, having someone else handle the hold time was worth it. You still talk directly to the IRS yourself when they connect you.

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Isabella Brown

•8M

Ok I need to eat my words from my skeptical comment. I tried Claimyr yesterday because I've been trying to get through to the IRS about an issue with my 2023 refund for THREE WEEKS with no luck. Their system called me back in about an hour and connected me straight to an IRS agent! The agent sorted out my issue in about 10 minutes - turns out there was a discrepancy between what my employer reported on my W2 and what I entered on my return. Would have never known without talking to someone. Saved me from potentially getting a nasty letter and penalties down the road. I'm honestly shocked this worked so well after wasting so many hours on hold myself.

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Maya Patel

•8M

FreeTaxUSA is great for simple returns but if you have an HSA, just double check everything carefully. I used them last year and somehow my HSA contribution didn't get properly reported even though I swear I entered it. Ended up having to file an amendment which was annoying. Not saying don't use them, just verify all the numbers on the final PDF before submitting. Their interface for the HSA section is a little confusing with the contribution vs distribution sections.

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