What are the best e-filing options for complex tax situations? (2025 filing season)

I feel your pain! I've been preparing taxes for clients for years, and even I get frustrated with some of these systems. For what you're looking for, I'd recommend TaxAct Professional or TaxSlayer Pro. Both allow you to select the forms you need and fill them out directly rather than forcing you through an interview process. They have what's called "forms-based" preparation options in addition to the guided interview. FreeTaxUSA also has a decent interface that gives you more control while being significantly cheaper than TurboTax, though it still uses somewhat of a guided approach. Their deluxe version is usually under $30 which is way better than the $100+ you're paying now. Another option is Drake Tax software, which is primarily used by professionals but has a very straightforward forms-based approach. It might be overkill for an individual, but worth looking into if you're comfortable with tax forms.

After getting frustrated with TurboTax's clunky interface last year, I tried taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a completely different experience. Instead of forcing you through a rigid interview process, it lets you upload your documents and it extracts all the information automatically - no more manual entry for every little thing! What I really liked is that you can jump directly to specific forms and make changes without having to restart the whole process. I was able to customize my Schedule C deductions exactly how I wanted, and when I made a mistake, I just went directly to that form to fix it. No more navigating through 15 screens of questions!

I was really skeptical about using taxr.ai when I first read about it here, but I decided to give it a shot since I was so fed up with TurboTax. Honestly, I'm shocked at how well it worked for my situation. I have a side business, some investment income, and a rental property - was worried an AI tool wouldn't handle the complexity. But it actually processed everything correctly and I could jump right to the specific forms I needed to review without going through endless interview screens. The document upload feature saved me hours of manual data entry too. When I found a mistake in how I categorized some business expenses, I could fix it directly on Schedule C instead of restarting the whole process. My refund was actually a bit higher than what TurboTax calculated last year because it found some deductions I had missed. Definitely using it again next year!

If your issue is mainly trying to reach the IRS to get answers about your filing situation, I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) last tax season and it was a lifesaver. I was in a similar situation - had forms that weren't supported by Free File and needed clarification on some filing requirements. I'd spent HOURS on hold with the IRS getting nowhere. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with confirmed which forms I needed and actually recommended a specific e-filing option that would work for my situation. Saved me days of research and frustration.

Okay I need to eat my words from my previous comment. After being so skeptical, I tried Claimyr out of desperation yesterday. I needed to speak with someone about a specific form that wasn't supported in Free File Fillable Forms. I was connected to an IRS agent in about 30 minutes. On a Monday morning! When I'd previously wasted my entire Friday afternoon on hold. The agent confirmed that for my specific situation with those unsupported forms, I should use either TaxAct or Drake Tax with the forms-based approach others mentioned here. She even gave me specific instructions on how to e-file with those forms. Problem solved in one quick call instead of days of research. I'm still amazed this actually worked. Sorry for being such a skeptic!

Have you looked into the Credit Karma Tax platform (now called Cash App Taxes)? It's completely free for federal and state filing, even with complex returns. I switched from TurboTax to them two years ago and haven't looked back. It's not fully forms-based like you're asking for, but it gives you much more flexibility to jump between sections without forcing you through the entire interview process again. And you can't beat the price - FREE.

For California residents, don't forget about CalFile! It's the state's free e-filing system for CA state taxes. Obviously doesn't help with federal, but at least you can save money on the state portion. I combine CalFile for my state return with a cheaper option like FreeTaxUSA for federal. That way I'm only paying for one return instead of two.