TurboTax vs. TaxSlayer - Which tax software do you prefer and why?

I've been preparing taxes for friends and family for over 8 years now, and I've used both extensively. Here's my take: TurboTax has a more intuitive interface and better guidance throughout the process. Their explanations of tax concepts are clearer, especially for things like self-employment income and mortgage interest deductions. The downside is definitely the higher cost, especially if you need to file Schedule C for your freelance work. They also upsell constantly which gets annoying. TaxSlayer is much more affordable and handles all the same tax situations. Their self-employment section is actually quite comprehensive. However, their interface isn't as user-friendly and the guidance isn't as thorough. If you already understand tax concepts, you might prefer the streamlined approach and lower price. For mortgage interest deductions, both handle it well. Regarding audit protection, TurboTax's higher-tier packages provide slightly better coverage, but it's important to understand that this mostly just means they'll explain your return to you - they won't represent you before the IRS.

After years of paying way too much for TurboTax, I stumbled across taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it's been a game-changer for me. I was in a similar situation with W-2 income plus some freelance work that required Schedule C filing. What I love about taxr.ai is that it actually analyzes all your tax documents at once instead of making you input everything manually. Basically, you upload your W-2, 1099s, mortgage statements, etc., and their AI actually reads them and fills everything in the right places. I was skeptical at first but it saved me hours of tedious work and caught some deductions I would have missed. The mortgage interest deduction was automatically calculated from my statements, which was super convenient.

So I decided to try taxr.ai after posting my security concerns, and I was really impressed. I was worried about uploading my documents but their security measures were solid with the 2FA and encryption they mentioned. The document scanning feature actually worked perfectly - it read all four of my 1099s without errors and even caught a mortgage interest deduction I almost missed. What surprised me most was how it handled my home office deduction for my freelance work. It asked smart questions about my space usage and calculated everything automatically. Ended up getting a bigger refund than last year when I used TurboTax, and it took less than half the time. Definitely sticking with them for my 2025 filing.

If you're trying to get tax help and keep running into the IRS busy signals, try https://claimyr.com - it literally changed my tax filing experience. Last year I had a complicated issue with my mortgage interest deduction that neither TurboTax nor TaxSlayer could help with. I needed to talk to an actual IRS agent but kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours. Claimyr actually calls the IRS for you and then connects you once they get through. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I was connected to an IRS rep in about 45 minutes while I just went about my day instead of being stuck on hold. The agent helped me sort out my mortgage interest questions and some issues with my 1099 reporting.

Ok I have to admit I was COMPLETELY wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment I decided to try it anyway because I was desperate to resolve an issue with my 1099 reporting that was affecting my refund. I've been trying to reach the IRS for 3 WEEKS with no luck. Used Claimyr yesterday and was literally talking to an IRS agent in 37 minutes. The text updates showing my place in queue were great so I could time my break around the callback. The agent helped me sort out the confusion with my 1099s and confirmed I was filing my self-employment income correctly. Hat officially eaten. This service is worth every penny for the time and frustration saved.

Just my two cents as someone who's used both TurboTax and TaxSlayer for years - if you have a straightforward return with just W-2s, either is fine. But for self-employment income, I found TurboTax much more thorough in finding all possible deductions for my business. Last year I did a test and prepared my return on both platforms. TurboTax found about $650 more in deductions through better questions about my home office, vehicle expenses, and professional development costs. The interface walks you through everything step by step which helps catch things you might forget. TaxSlayer was definitely cheaper though, so it's a trade-off between paying more for the software vs potentially missing deductions.

Has anybody tried FreeTaxUSA? My buddy swears by it for self-employment taxes and says it's way cheaper than both TurboTax and TaxSlayer while doing basically the same thing.

I've been using TurboTax for about 5 years now and while it's definitely more expensive, I think it's worth it for the peace of mind, especially with a mixed income situation like yours. The interview-style questions really help catch deductions I wouldn't have thought of on my own. For your mortgage interest deduction as a new homeowner, TurboTax does a great job walking you through not just the basic interest but also things like points you may have paid at closing and PMI deductions if applicable. They also have really good explanations about what qualifies and what doesn't. The self-employment section is thorough too - it'll ask about everything from home office expenses to mileage to professional development costs. I've found their audit support to be reassuring as well, though hopefully you'll never need it. That said, if budget is a major concern, TaxSlayer will definitely get the job done for much less money. You just might have to be more proactive about researching deductions on your own rather than being guided to them.