Should I file my taxes using TurboTax for 2025 filing season?
I literally know NOTHING about taxes at all and I'm honestly freaking out. It's my first time filing and I'm super nervous about messing up. TurboTax seems decent based on the App Store reviews (4.8 stars!!!) and lots of people have downloaded it, but is it actually good? Are there hidden fees I should know about? I work a regular job, nothing fancy, and just want to make sure I don't screw this up and get audited or something. Any advice appreciated!!! Feeling totally overwhelmed.
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Maggie Martinez
TurboTax is definitely one of the more popular tax filing software options out there. For someone who's new to taxes with a straightforward situation (like a single W-2 from an employer), it can work well. The interface is designed to be user-friendly and walks you through the process step by step. That said, be aware that they do push their paid tiers pretty aggressively. You might start with what you think is free filing only to be told halfway through that you need to upgrade because of some form or deduction. The IRS actually offers a Free File program that many qualify for but TurboTax doesn't always make this obvious. There are alternatives worth considering too - FreeTaxUSA is much cheaper for state filing, and Cash App Taxes (formerly Credit Karma Tax) offers completely free federal and state filing for most basic situations.
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Alejandro Castro
•Is TurboTax good for someone who has a W-2 but also did some freelance work? I made like $3000 on the side last year and don't know if that makes things more complicated.
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Maggie Martinez
•For someone with W-2 income plus some freelance work, TurboTax can definitely handle that situation. They have specific sections for self-employment income that will guide you through reporting those additional earnings and calculating any deductible business expenses you might have. The freelance income does make things a bit more complicated because you'll need to file a Schedule C for your self-employment income, and you may need to pay self-employment tax on those earnings. This typically pushes you into one of TurboTax's paid tiers rather than their free option.
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Monique Byrd
I used to be totally intimidated by taxes too until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) last year. It's been a game changer compared to traditional tax software! Instead of answering endless questions, you just upload your tax documents and their AI analyzes everything. I was skeptical at first since I had side gig income plus my regular job, but it handled everything perfectly. What I really liked is that it explained WHY it was making certain tax decisions rather than just plugging numbers in blindly like I was doing with TurboTax. Makes me feel way more confident that everything's being done correctly.
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Jackie Martinez
•How does it handle stuff like deductions? I always worry I'm missing something I could be claiming with the regular tax software.
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Lia Quinn
•Is it actually free? Sounds too good to be true lol. I've been burned by "free" tax software before that suddenly wants $80 when you're almost done.
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Monique Byrd
•It actually scans your documents looking for potential deductions you might qualify for and explains them in simple terms. I found several deductions I had no idea about, like some of my student loan interest that I didn't realize was deductible. It's way more thorough than when I was manually entering everything and trying to figure it out myself. Regarding pricing, it's not free but I found it worth every penny for the time saved and additional refund I got. They're transparent about the cost upfront - no surprise charges when you're halfway through like some other services do. Given how much more I got back in my refund compared to what I would have figured out on my own, it more than paid for itself in my case.
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Lia Quinn
So I was skeptical about taxr.ai when I first heard about it (I'm always suspicious of new tax tools), but I decided to give it a try after getting frustrated with TurboTax constantly upselling me. HOLY CRAP what a difference! I uploaded my W-2s and 1099s and it found deductions I had no idea I qualified for. The interface is so much cleaner and I actually understood what was happening with my taxes for once. I ended up getting almost $740 more in my refund than I would have with TurboTax because it caught some education credits I missed. If you're on the fence, definitely give it a shot. No more spending hours answering the same questions over and over!
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Haley Stokes
If you're having trouble getting answers directly from the IRS (and who isn't these days), you might want to check out Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent DAYS trying to get through to the IRS about an issue with my previous year's return, literally calling hundreds of times and always getting disconnected. With Claimyr, I was connected to an actual IRS agent in less than 45 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Completely changed my view on dealing with tax issues - I thought I was stuck in limbo forever. They basically hold your place in line with the IRS so you don't have to keep redialing.
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Asher Levin
•Wait, how exactly does this work? I'm confused how a third-party service can get you through to the IRS faster than just calling them directly?
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Serene Snow
•This sounds like a scam. There's no way anyone can get priority access to the IRS. They probably just connect you to some call center in another country that pretends to be the IRS.
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Haley Stokes
•It's actually pretty clever how it works. They use an automated system that keeps dialing the IRS for you and navigating through all those annoying phone menus. When they finally get through to the hold queue, they call you and connect you directly. So instead of you personally redialing hundreds of times, their system does the tedious part. The person you talk to is 100% a real IRS agent - Claimyr just helps you get in line efficiently. I was skeptical too at first! But I can confirm I spoke with an actual IRS representative who had access to all my tax records and resolved my issue. It's just a time-saving service, not some kind of special access or priority line. They just automate the frustrating part of the process that makes everyone want to throw their phone against the wall.
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Serene Snow
Ok I need to publicly eat my words here. After posting that skeptical comment about Claimyr, I got desperate with an IRS issue that's been hanging over my head for months. I'd already tried calling the IRS like 50 times with no luck. Decided to try this service as a last resort and...wow. It actually worked exactly as described. Got a call back in about 30 mins saying they had reached the IRS, and then I was talking to a real IRS agent who had full access to my tax records. Resolved my issue in one call that I'd been stressing about for MONTHS. Sometimes being wrong feels pretty good! Sorry for calling it a scam before I tried it.
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Issac Nightingale
I've used TurboTax, H&R Block, and FreeTaxUSA over the years. Honestly for a first-timer with a simple return, almost any of the major tax software options will work fine. Here's my take: TurboTax: Most user-friendly but most expensive and aggressive with upsells. H&R Block: Similar to TurboTax but sometimes slightly cheaper. FreeTaxUSA: Way cheaper ($0 federal, ~$15 state) and works great for most situations. Cash App Taxes: Completely free but less hand-holding. I'd personally recommend FreeTaxUSA for the best balance of cost and usability. Just be aware that with ANY tax software, you should double-check their work!
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Zane Gray
•Thanks for breaking it down! Is FreeTaxUSA actually accurate though? I know TurboTax is expensive but I'm scared of using something cheap and getting audited or missing out on money I should get back.
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Issac Nightingale
•FreeTaxUSA is absolutely accurate - I've used it for years including with some complicated situations (rental property, investments, etc). The calculations are all based on the same tax laws regardless of which software you use. Regarding audit concerns, your audit risk is based on what's reported on your return, not which software you use to file it. TurboTax doesn't have any special "audit protection" in their standard packages anyway - they just try to upsell you on that service. The best protection against audits is simply reporting all your income accurately and keeping good records of your deductions.
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Romeo Barrett
Has anyone tried filing taxes directly through the IRS website? I heard they finally launched a direct filing option this year but not sure if it's any good.
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Marina Hendrix
•I used the IRS Direct File pilot program when they expanded it this year. It's completely free and pretty straightforward if you have a simple tax situation (W-2 income, standard deduction). The interface isn't as polished as TurboTax, but it gets the job done and there are absolutely zero upsells or hidden fees. The main limitation is that it only supports certain types of income and credits right now - no self-employment income, no itemized deductions, etc. But if you qualify, it's the most straightforward option.
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