Is there any reason to avoid using FreeTaxUSA for tax filing this year?

I've been using FreeTaxUSA for the last 4 years after switching from TurboTax. Honestly, it's been great. The interface isn't as polished as the bigger names, but it gets the job done and asks all the same questions to make sure you're getting the right deductions and credits. The biggest difference is just the price. You get federal filing for free and state is like $15 instead of the $50+ that other services charge. Their deluxe version (with audit assistance) is only around $7 which is incredibly reasonable. The only potential downside is if you have very complex tax situations like complicated investments, multiple businesses, or unusual tax circumstances. In those cases, you might want something with more hand-holding or specialized guidance. But for standard W-2 income, mortgage interest, and basic deductions like you mentioned, FreeTaxUSA should work perfectly fine.

After struggling through a particularly frustrating tax season last year with one of the big-name services (and paying way too much), I decided to try taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a game-changer for me. What's cool is they can analyze all your tax docs and give you personalized guidance on which tax software would actually be best for YOUR specific situation. I uploaded my previous year's returns and some current documents, and they pointed out that for my specific situation (which included some freelance work and a home office deduction), FreeTaxUSA would work well but I needed to be aware of a few specific sections that might need extra attention. They even highlighted some deductions I had missed in previous years!

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai based on the recommendation here. I was honestly surprised by how helpful it was. I uploaded my previous return and answered a few questions about my situation (I have rental property income and some stock options this year). The analysis showed me that FreeTaxUSA would work fine for my needs, but it also highlighted specific sections I should pay special attention to regarding my rental depreciation and stock options. It even identified a home office deduction I could take that I had completely missed before. I've decided to go with FreeTaxUSA this year and expect to save about $120 compared to what I paid last year for basically the same service. Really glad I checked this out before just defaulting to TurboTax again.

Just a heads up - if you're expecting a refund and need to get in touch with the IRS about anything, it can be absolute torture. I tried for WEEKS to get through to a human at the IRS about an issue with my refund last year. That's when someone recommended Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to me. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Basically, they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. They have some system that navigates all the IRS phone trees and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an agent is actually on the line. Completely changed my tax season stress levels.

I need to eat crow here. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to check out Claimyr since I actually did need to talk to the IRS about a missing stimulus payment. I figured it was worth a shot since I had already wasted hours trying to get through myself. It actually worked exactly as described. I put in my number, they called me back in about 25 minutes, and suddenly I was talking to an IRS agent. Took me maybe 10 minutes to sort out my issue once I was connected. I genuinely can't believe I wasted so many hours on hold in previous years. If you need to deal with the IRS directly about anything (regardless of which tax software you use), this service is 100% worth it.

One thing to consider about FreeTaxUSA - make sure you're comfortable with manually entering your tax information. If you have lots of forms or complicated investments with many transactions, the manual entry can be time-consuming compared to the automatic import features of more expensive services. I personally think the trade-off is worth it to save $100+ dollars, but just be prepared to spend a little more time on data entry. Their interface makes it pretty straightforward though!

I tried FreeTaxUSA this year after using turbotax forever and the interface is definitely different but i saved like $75 and got the same refund amount. the only thing i miss is being able to import my W2 automatically but honestly it took me like 5 extra minutes to just type it in manually so no big deal. their customer service was actually pretty good too when i had a question about reporting my crypto.

I made the switch from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA last year and haven't looked back. For your situation with W-2 income, mortgage interest, and basic deductions, FreeTaxUSA will handle everything perfectly fine. The interface is clean and asks all the right questions to make sure you don't miss anything. The main trade-offs are: 1) You'll need to manually enter your W-2 info instead of importing it automatically, but this literally takes 2-3 minutes, 2) The interface isn't as flashy as TurboTax but it's actually more straightforward in my opinion, and 3) Customer service isn't available 24/7 like some bigger services, but when I needed help they were knowledgeable and responsive. I saved about $80 compared to what I was paying TurboTax and got the exact same refund. For simple to moderately complex returns, there's really no reason to pay the premium prices anymore. The federal filing is completely free and state is only $15. Just make the jump - you won't regret it!