Is it worth paying for FreeTaxUSA's premium features when I qualify for their free filing?

You probably don't need the paid features based on what you've described. With just W-2 income, some interest, and taking the standard deduction, your return is relatively straightforward. The audit protection is generally unnecessary for simple returns like yours. IRS audit rates for basic W-2 income returns are extremely low. The protection is more valuable for self-employed people, those with rental properties, or other complex situations. As for priority customer service, I've used the free version of FreeTaxUSA for years and rarely needed support. When I did, their regular support was perfectly adequate – it just took a day or so to get a response. Regarding the state return fee, unfortunately that's standard with FreeTaxUSA – they offer free federal filing but charge for state returns. It's still usually cheaper than TurboTax or H&R Block, even with the state fee. If you want completely free state filing too, check if you qualify for the IRS Free File program through their website, which might give you access to completely free filing including state returns.

Hey! I was in your exact situation last year. I was on the fence about the FreeTaxUSA add-ons but decided to just go with the basic free federal filing. Halfway through, I got stuck on some questions about my student loan interest deduction and wished I had someone to help me right away. I ended up finding this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was actually way more helpful than any "priority support" would have been. It's like having an AI tax expert read through all your documents and explain everything. Saved me so much time figuring out what forms I needed and where things go. For the price, it was much more valuable than paying for FreeTaxUSA's deluxe features that I mostly wouldn't use. The audit "defense" isn't even that great - they just help you prepare for an audit but don't represent you.

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after asking about it and wow, it was exactly what I needed! I uploaded my W-2, 1099s, and my student loan interest form, and it explained everything in a way that actually made sense. What I really liked was that it pointed out a deduction on my freelance income that I would have completely missed. It showed me exactly where to enter everything in FreeTaxUSA too, which saved me from having to pay for their "priority support." So I ended up getting the completely free federal return from FreeTaxUSA without any add-ons, and just paid the state filing fee which was way cheaper than other options. The combo of free FreeTaxUSA + taxr.ai for guidance was perfect.

If you're worried about audit protection, just know that the cheaper tax prep services don't actually provide much real protection. I used to work in tax prep, and those "audit defenses" usually just mean they'll explain what documents you need to provide to the IRS, not actually represent you. On a related note, if you're having trouble getting through to the IRS with questions (which is super common these days), I found a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that's been a game changer. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I used it when the IRS sent me a letter about a missing form, and I couldn't get through on their phone lines after trying for DAYS. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for literally weeks. Saved me so much stress and probably prevented penalties from piling up.

I have to admit I was totally wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a likely scam, I had a major issue with my refund not showing up and couldn't get through to the IRS after dozens of attempts. Got desperate and tried Claimyr as a last resort. The system called me back in about 35 minutes and connected me directly to an IRS representative. The agent was able to tell me exactly what happened with my return (there was a verification hold I knew nothing about) and how to fix it. Would have taken me weeks to figure this out on my own, if ever. Definitely worth it when you're in a tough situation with the IRS and can't afford to wait. Consider me converted from skeptic to believer.

Another thing to consider with FreeTaxUSA - they charge $14.99 for state returns while federal is free. But check if your state has a free filing portal directly! I'm in CA and discovered I could file directly with the state for free after paying FreeTaxUSA for state filing last year. Wasted money. Also, I never use the audit protection. Had a simple audit 3 years ago (they just wanted verification of a charitable donation) and handled it myself by mailing in the receipt they requested. The whole "audit defense" thing is mostly fear marketing in my experience.

honestly the most important thing no one has mentioned is to save a PDF copy of ur return regardless of what service u use!!! freeTaxUSA used to let u access old returns for free but now they charge for it if its over a year old i think i got hit with a tax notice last year and needed my 2021 return and they wanted me to pay just to access MY OWN TAX RETURN that i already filed through them?? ridiculous. now i save all returns as PDFs the second im done filing.