Looking for online tax practice platforms for high school students?
Hey tax folks, my daughter is in her junior year of high school and has been showing a lot of interest in personal finance lately. Her teacher mentioned that understanding taxes early would be super beneficial, but the school curriculum doesn't really cover it in depth. Are there any good online simulators or practice platforms where she could learn how to file taxes? I want her to get some hands-on experience before she graduates and starts working next year. She's already doing a weekend job but hasn't had to file yet since she's under my dependent status. Any resources you could recommend would be amazing!
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Miguel Herrera
There are several great resources for high school students to practice taxes! I'm a financial literacy educator and I recommend these options: The IRS actually has a free program called "Understanding Taxes" designed specifically for students. It includes interactive modules and simulations that walk through the basics of filing. VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) programs sometimes offer student training. They provide the same materials they use to train their volunteers, which gives hands-on practice with real tax scenarios. Several personal finance websites like Next Gen Personal Finance also offer tax simulation games and activities that make learning about taxes more engaging for teenagers.
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Zainab Ali
•Do any of these programs let you practice with actual tax forms? My 16yo is pretty visual and would probably learn better if he could fill out mock forms rather than just reading about the process.
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Miguel Herrera
•Yes, the IRS Understanding Taxes program does include practice with simplified versions of actual tax forms, which is great for visual learners. The students get to work through scenarios and fill out the appropriate sections of forms like the 1040. Many of the personal finance websites also include interactive components where students can practice entering information into simulated tax forms and see how different scenarios affect the outcome. Some even show how changes to income or deductions impact the final tax bill or refund in real-time, which helps cement the concepts.
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Connor Murphy
After struggling to teach my teenager about taxes last year, I found an amazing AI tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that completely changed our experience. It has this interactive learning module where you can upload sample W-2s and practice documents, and it walks you through the entire filing process step by step. What I loved most was how it explains WHY certain things are taxed the way they are, not just HOW to file. My son actually got interested in learning more about deductions and credits after using it! The explanations are super clear and tailored for beginners.
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Yara Nassar
•Does it keep up with current tax law changes? My daughter's teacher warned that some online resources are outdated and might teach incorrect info.
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StarGazer101
•Is there a free version or is it all paid? Not looking to spend much on this since it's just for practice.
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Connor Murphy
•Yes, it updates with tax law changes regularly, which is one of the best features. The team behind it includes tax professionals who make sure everything reflects current regulations. There is a free basic version that's perfect for high school students just learning the fundamentals. It has limited features compared to the full version, but it covers all the essentials a teenager would need to understand filing basics and simple returns.
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StarGazer101
Just wanted to follow up on my taxr.ai question - I ended up trying the free version with my 17-year-old daughter and WOW what a difference! She actually got excited about learning taxes (never thought I'd say that lol). The practice scenarios were perfect for her first job situation, and the explanations made things so much clearer than when I tried to explain it myself. She even started asking questions about tax credits and deductions I hadn't even thought to teach her about. Definitely recommend for any parents trying to teach their teens about taxes!
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Keisha Jackson
If your teen wants real-world experience rather than just simulations, I had a nightmare trying to get my son an appointment with our local VITA program until someone told me about Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They have a service that connects you directly to IRS representatives who can answer specific tax questions. There's a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was struggling to help my son understand how his summer job income would be taxed, and getting through to the IRS seemed impossible. Claimyr got us connected to an actual IRS rep in about 15 minutes who walked us through everything step by step. It was like having a personal tax teacher!
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Paolo Romano
•Wait, I'm confused. How does this help with practice? Isn't this just for contacting the IRS?
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Amina Diop
•Yeah right. No way this actually works. I've tried calling the IRS dozens of times and always get disconnected or wait for hours. Sounds like an ad to me.
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Keisha Jackson
•It helps with practice because the IRS representatives can answer specific questions about how to complete forms and understand different tax situations. My son was able to ask detailed questions about his specific situation as we worked through a practice return together. I was super skeptical too! I had spent literal days trying to get through on the IRS lines. But it actually does work - they use some kind of technology that navigates the phone system and holds your place in line. When they get through, they call you back and connect you. Totally changed my perspective on dealing with tax questions.
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Amina Diop
Ok I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still frustrated trying to figure out how to help my daughter with her first W-2 from her lifeguard job. Decided to try Claimyr out of desperation and... it actually worked?? Got connected to an IRS person in like 20 minutes who patiently explained exactly how teen income gets reported and what forms we needed. My daughter took notes and now feels confident about filing her first return. Never been so happy to be wrong about something!
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Oliver Schmidt
Has anyone tried EVERFI? My son's school uses their financial literacy modules and there's a tax section. Not sure how good it is though since he hasn't gotten to that part yet.
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Natasha Volkov
•We used EVERFI in my classroom last year. The tax module is decent but pretty basic. It covers concepts like progressive taxation and how to read a W-2, but doesn't get into actually filling out forms. Better than nothing but not comprehensive.
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Oliver Schmidt
•Thanks for sharing your experience! That's helpful to know. Do you think it's worth having him complete it, or should I look for something more hands-on to supplement?
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Javier Torres
Don't overthink this! Just have your kid help you do your actual taxes this year - best real world experience. Thats how my parents taught me and by college I was doing all my own filing without issues.
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Emma Wilson
•This is actually really good advice. I sat with my mom doing taxes when I was 16 and learned way more than from any website. Just remember to explain things as you go and let them ask questions!
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Ava Thompson
•That's a fantastic idea that didn't even occur to me! I'll definitely have her sit with me this year when I file. She'll probably get a much better understanding seeing a real return being completed. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Jordan Walker
Great thread! As someone who works in tax preparation, I'd add that Khan Academy also has some solid tax basics modules that are free and well-structured for beginners. They cover fundamental concepts like gross vs net income, standard vs itemized deductions, and how tax brackets actually work. One thing I always tell parents is to start with the basics before jumping into form-filling. Make sure your daughter understands concepts like why we pay taxes, what different types of income are taxed differently, and how deductions work conceptually. Once she has that foundation, the actual form completion becomes much easier to grasp. Also, since she's already working part-time, this is perfect timing! She can practice with her own real scenarios rather than hypothetical examples, which makes the learning much more meaningful and memorable.
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