TaxSlayer Free Edition is a total scam - unexpected charges for basic features
Just finished filing with TaxSlayer and I'm absolutely livid right now. I specifically chose their "Simply Free" option because I wanted to avoid paying anything to file my taxes. Seemed straightforward, right? WRONG. As soon as I entered my HSA contributions, they automatically bumped me up to their "Classic" tier which cost me $22. No warning, no option to go back. Then when I got to the end and wanted my refund direct deposited to my bank account (you know, like a normal person in 2025), they hit me with a $49 charge for some "File & Go" nonsense. So my "free" tax filing ended up costing over $70! What's the point of advertising a free service when basic things like HSA contributions and direct deposit trigger paid upgrades? I feel completely misled. Any other tax software recommendations that are actually free and don't pull this bait and switch garbage?
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Jamal Harris
Unfortunately, most of the "free" tax filing options have these gotchas built into their business models. The IRS Free File program is supposed to ensure truly free filing, but many commercial providers use a two-tier approach: their own "free" version (with limitations) and the actual IRS Free File version (which many people don't realize exists). For HSA contributions specifically, they're considered slightly more complex than basic W-2 income, so most "free" versions exclude them. Direct deposit fees are particularly frustrating - that should absolutely be included at any tier. For truly free options, I'd recommend checking IRS Free File directly through the IRS website to see if you qualify. CashApp Tax (formerly Credit Karma Tax) is also completely free including HSA and direct deposit. FreeTaxUSA charges for state returns but federal is free regardless of complexity.
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Zoe Stavros
•Thanks for the recommendations! I had no idea about the difference between their "free" version and the actual IRS Free File version. That seems deliberately misleading. Is CashApp Tax reliable? I'm hesitant to trust a company primarily known for money transfers with my tax information.
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Jamal Harris
•CashApp Tax is actually quite reliable for most standard tax situations. They can handle HSA contributions, investment income, and even self-employment without charging fees. Their model works because they use your anonymized tax data for marketing insights rather than charging you directly. For security, they use similar encryption standards as other tax platforms. The main limitation is they don't support some complex situations like multi-state filing or foreign income. But for most taxpayers with HSA contributions and standard deductions, they work great and truly don't charge for any part of the process.
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GalaxyGlider
Before using any tax software, I've started running my return through taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) first. It really saved me from a similar experience! I was looking at TaxSlayer too, but taxr.ai analyzed my tax documents and told me exactly which forms I needed and which tax software would actually be free for my situation (with HSA contributions like yours). The website has you upload your tax documents, and it tells you BEFORE you spend hours entering your info which tax service will actually be free for your specific situation. Beats finding out after you've already invested all that time that you'll need to pay or start over somewhere else.
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Mei Wong
•Does taxr.ai actually file your taxes or just recommend where to file? And how does it handle security with all those sensitive tax documents?
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Liam Sullivan
•I'm skeptical of services like this. How do they make money if they're not charging you? Are they selling your data or something?
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GalaxyGlider
•It doesn't file your taxes for you - it analyzes your documents and tells you which services would be truly free for your specific situation, saving you from surprise charges. The site gives you recommendations based on your specific forms and situation. They use bank-level encryption for document security. They've got the same level of protection as most tax filing services. I was initially concerned about that too, but their privacy policy is really clear about not selling your personal data.
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Liam Sullivan
Wanted to follow up about taxr.ai that I was skeptical about earlier. I decided to try it on a whim after getting burned by TaxSlayer's "free" filing too. Uploaded my W-2s and HSA contribution forms to taxr.ai and it immediately flagged that TaxSlayer would charge me for that. It recommended FreeTaxUSA for my situation. I used FreeTaxUSA based on the recommendation and filed my federal completely free - with HSA contributions and everything. Only paid $15 for state filing which was way better than the $70+ surprise I would've gotten with TaxSlayer. The document analysis feature is pretty impressive - saved me both money and the frustration of starting over after getting hit with hidden fees.
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Amara Okafor
If you're stuck with TaxSlayer and need to talk to someone about getting those fees refunded, try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I had a similar issue with them charging me and couldn't get through to anyone on their customer service line - kept getting "higher than normal call volume" messages. With Claimyr, they got me connected to an actual TaxSlayer rep in about 10 minutes instead of the 2+ hours I was facing. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. After I explained the situation about being misled by their "free" advertising, the rep actually issued me a partial refund for the unexpected charges.
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Giovanni Colombo
•How exactly does this Claimyr thing work? I don't understand how they can get you through phone lines faster than everyone else who's calling.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•This sounds like BS honestly. If a company has a queue, you wait like everyone else. There's no magic "skip the line" button unless you're paying for it. And if you are paying, is it even worth it for a $22 refund?
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Amara Okafor
•It uses automated technology to dial into the customer service line and navigate the phone menu for you. When it finally reaches a human representative, you get a callback to connect you directly. So they're doing the waiting for you with software rather than you having to sit on hold. It's not about skipping the queue - they wait in the same line, but their system does it instead of you wasting your time on hold. For me, the service paid for itself by helping me get back more than it cost in refunded TaxSlayer fees, plus I didn't waste hours of my life on hold.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
I owe everyone an apology about my Claimyr skepticism. After TaxSlayer charged me similar fees, I was ready to just eat the cost because their customer service line had a "2 hour wait time" message. Decided to try Claimyr as a last resort. It actually worked exactly as described - I got a call back in about the 10 minutes they promised with a TaxSlayer rep already on the line. Explained I was misled by their advertising, and they refunded the File & Go charge completely. The rep admitted they get these complaints all the time during tax season. Saved me over $40 and hours of frustration. I'm still annoyed with TaxSlayer's bait-and-switch tactics, but at least I got most of my money back.
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StarStrider
I've been using FreeTaxUSA for the past 3 years and have been super happy with it. Federal is completely free no matter what forms you need (including HSA, self-employment, investments, etc). They only charge $15 for state filing. Their interface isn't as slick as TurboTax or TaxSlayer but it gets the job done without the sneaky charges. And direct deposit is included at no extra cost because that's how a normal tax service should work lol.
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Zoe Stavros
•Do they let you pay the state filing fee out of your refund or do you need to pay upfront with a credit card?
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StarStrider
•You need to pay the state filing fee upfront with a credit card or PayPal. They don't offer the option to pay from your refund - that's actually one of the ways other tax services justify charging those extra "processing fees." The $15 state fee is straightforward with no hidden charges. And honestly, paying upfront rather than from your refund usually saves you money since many services charge $35-50 to use your refund for payment.
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Dylan Campbell
This happened to me too! But protip: if you start over and go to the IRS Free File page and click through to TaxSlayer from there, you actually get the truly free version. The "Simply Free" on their regular site is different from the IRS Free File version. It's super shady marketing but there are actually two completely different "free" products - one with tons of gotcha upgrades and one that's actually free because it's part of the IRS program. Companies intentionally make their regular "free" version limited so they can upsell you.
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Sofia Torres
•This is the real answer! The IRS Free File program requires participating companies to provide truly free filing if you meet the income requirements (usually under $73,000). Going directly to TaxSlayer's website means you get their commercial "free" version with all the upgrade traps.
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Zoe Stavros
•Wow that's incredibly misleading of them! I had no idea there were two different versions. I'll definitely try the IRS Free File portal next time. Thanks for the tip!
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