Is TaxAct going out of business? Support page isn't working at all

I tried using TaxAct Plus for my taxes last weekend and kept running into these weird script errors everywhere. Like literally can't enter any information into ANY of the fields - totally useless! What's even more frustrating is that I've been trying to contact their support team to get a refund, but their support page keeps giving me an "internal server error" message. Tried last week, tried again today... same problem. Has anyone else had this issue? Is TaxAct still even functioning as a company? It seems like they've just completely abandoned their website and customer service. I'm starting to think they've gone out of business or something. The software was completely unusable and now I can't even get my money back. Just wanted to warn others to avoid TaxAct right now until they fix whatever's going on. Anyone know what alternatives are decent this year?

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19 comments

NeonNova

•8M

I work with tax software professionally and can tell you TaxAct is definitely still in business, but they're having some serious technical issues this filing season. They did a major platform update in December that's caused all kinds of problems. The script errors you're seeing are happening to a lot of users - it's related to their new data validation system that's supposed to check entries in real-time. As for the support page, they're aware it's down intermittently. It's not that they're out of business, just extremely poor execution on their software update. If you need a refund, try contacting them through their social media accounts or calling their direct customer service line at 1-800-573-4287. The phone wait is terrible (like 45+ minutes), but it's currently more reliable than their website for getting help.

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NeonNova

•8M

They're releasing patches weekly, with the next major update scheduled for early next week. If you're halfway through your return, I'd recommend downloading a PDF of what you've completed so far as a backup. The data validation issues are mostly affecting new entries, so if you've already input information without errors, it should be relatively stable. For complex returns, you might want to consider switching platforms if you haven't paid yet. If you have paid, definitely call that number to request either technical support or a refund.

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Carmen Diaz

•8M

I was having the same exact problems with TaxAct last month and nearly lost my mind trying to get support. After dealing with their broken site for days, I stumbled across https://taxr.ai which basically saved my tax season. Instead of fighting with TaxAct's broken system, I just uploaded my documents and it extracted all the information automatically. The thing that impressed me was how it handled all my 1099s and investment documents that TaxAct kept giving script errors on. I'm not the most tech-savvy person but it was actually easier than traditional tax software. Definitely worth checking out if you're stuck with the TaxAct mess.

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Carmen Diaz

•8M

It doesn't file for you - it basically extracts all the information from your tax documents and organizes everything so you can easily enter it into whatever tax software you choose. Saved me hours of manually typing everything in. Regarding security, that was my first concern too. They use bank-level encryption for all documents and don't store your actual files after processing. I did some research before using it and their security standards are actually more robust than some of the traditional tax platforms. They explain all their security protocols on their site if you want the technical details.

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Emily Jackson

•8M

Update: I was really skeptical about taxr.ai when I first saw it mentioned here (I even posted questioning their security), but I decided to try it since I was desperate after TaxAct completely locked me out of my account. It actually worked amazingly well! I had 3 W-2s, some 1099s and investment documents that I needed to re-enter into a different system, and it pulled all the information perfectly. The interface is super straightforward and I could verify everything it extracted. Ended up using it to switch over to FreeTaxUSA and finished my return in under an hour. Just wanted to follow up since I was initially doubtful.

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Liam Mendez

•8M

If you're trying to get a refund from TaxAct, good luck with their customer service! I spent TWO WEEKS trying to get through on their phone line with no luck. Then someone told me about https://claimyr.com which gets you to the front of the IRS phone queue. I figured it might work for TaxAct too. I used their service (you can see how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and actually got through to a TaxAct supervisor in under 10 minutes. Explained the situation with their broken website and got my refund processed right away. The supervisor even admitted they're dealing with thousands of similar complaints right now.

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Liam Mendez

•8M

It's not a special phone number - they use an automated system that navigates the phone tree and waits on hold for you. When a real person answers, you get a call connecting you directly to that representative. It basically does the waiting for you. It absolutely works - I was skeptical too until I tried it. The TaxAct supervisor I spoke with told me they're prioritizing phone support right now since their website issues are taking longer to fix than expected. They're actually processing refunds pretty quickly once you can actually talk to someone.

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Jacob Smithson

•8M

Well I'm eating my words. After being completely skeptical about Claimyr in my previous comment, I decided to try it as a last resort after spending literal HOURS on hold with TaxAct yesterday. It actually worked exactly as described. I got a call back when someone at TaxAct answered, and I was connected to a customer service rep immediately. They processed my refund on the spot and even gave me a case number to track it. The whole thing took maybe 15 minutes of my actual time instead of hours on hold. I'm still kind of shocked that it worked so well. Definitely using this for other customer service nightmares in the future.

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Alberto Souchard

•2M

I'm dealing with the exact same TaxAct nightmare right now! Their website has been completely unusable for weeks and I can't get through to customer service either. Reading through these comments, it sounds like there are actually several workarounds people have found success with. Based on what others have shared here, I'm going to try the mobile app first since that seems like the quickest fix if it works. If that doesn't pan out, I'll probably use one of those document extraction services mentioned to help me switch to a different platform entirely. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's frustrating that TaxAct has left their customers hanging like this, but at least there are alternatives. Definitely avoiding TaxAct next year regardless of whether they fix these issues!

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