What are the fees for filing taxes in 2025?

I'm kinda freaking out about the cost of filing my taxes this year. I started looking into some tax prep software and was shocked at how expensive some of them are! I make around $58,000 a year at my main job, plus I did some side gigs that brought in maybe another $7,200. Nothing too complicated, but I do have student loan interest and some small investments. Last year I used a free service but they seemed to have changed their model and now want to charge me $75+ for basically the same return. Are there still truly free options out there? Or am I going to be stuck paying these ridiculous filing fees? I'm not against paying something reasonable, but these prices seem to keep climbing every year! Does anyone have recommendations for affordable tax filing options? Or should I just bite the bullet and pay whatever they're asking? Tax season is always stressful enough without worrying about the cost just to file!

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18 comments

Zara Shah

•8M

The good news is you still have several truly free filing options available! The IRS Free File program partners with tax software companies to provide free federal filing if your adjusted gross income is below $73,000. With your income level, you should qualify. You can access these options directly through the IRS website (irs.gov/freefile) rather than going directly to the tax software sites. This is important because sometimes the same companies that offer free filing through the IRS program will try to upsell you if you go directly to their website instead. Another option is the IRS Direct File program which is expanding to more states this year. It's completely free and lets you file directly with the IRS without using a third-party service. For your situation with some basic investments and student loan interest, these free options should handle everything you need without requiring paid upgrades.

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Zara Shah

•8M

The issue you encountered is unfortunately common - some providers use these "upgrade triggers" even though they shouldn't. For student loan interest specifically, I'd recommend using TaxSlayer through the IRS Free File portal. They tend to include Form 1098-E (student loan interest) without requiring upgrades. Another good option is the IRS Direct File program which now covers more states and handles all standard tax situations including student loan interest. It's completely free with no upselling because it's run directly by the IRS rather than a commercial provider.

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GalacticGuardian

•8M

After spending weeks frustrated with the "free" filing options that kept trying to charge me fees last year, I found this AI tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that completely changed my filing experience. I was skeptical at first because I'd been burned by so many "free" services before. My situation sounds similar to yours - regular W-2 job plus some independent contractor work and investment income. The tool basically analyzed all my tax documents and gave me detailed guidance on exactly what I could claim and how to file. The best part was it flagged a bunch of deductions I was missing for my side gig income. It guides you through everything but doesn't actually file for you - which means you can use it alongside those truly free filing options that the previous commenter mentioned. That combination worked perfectly for me.

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GalacticGuardian

•8M

It handles student loan interest deductions perfectly - that's actually one of the things it caught for me. It shows you exactly which form and which line to enter your 1098-E information on, and calculates the potential deduction value based on your income level. Yes, you still need to use another service or the IRS Direct File to actually submit your return. The point is that it analyzes all your documents and tells you exactly what you qualify for and how to enter everything correctly. Think of it as having a tax expert look over your shoulder, pointing out deductions and credits you might miss, but then you enter that information into whatever free filing option you choose.

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Nia Harris

•8M

Just wanted to give an update - I tried taxr.ai that was mentioned above and it's seriously legit! I was about to pay $89 for TurboTax because I thought my student loans and side income made my taxes "too complicated" for free filing. The tool analyzed my situation and basically gave me step-by-step instructions on how to file through the IRS Free File program instead. It found a home office deduction I didn't know I qualified for with my side gigs, plus handled all my student loan interest calculations. I ended up using IRS Free File with TaxSlayer as recommended, and following the guidance from taxr.ai, I filed completely free AND got an extra $742 in deductions I would have missed otherwise. Definitely worth checking out if you're trying to avoid filing fees!

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Aisha Ali

•8M

If you're filing taxes and need to call the IRS with questions (which I had to do multiple times last year), let me save you hours of frustration. I discovered this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I was trying for DAYS on my own. I kept getting errors when filing about a previous year's AGI not matching, and the automated system was useless. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c but basically they use some technology to navigate the IRS phone system and hold your place in line. When an agent is about to pick up, they call you and connect you directly. Saved me literally hours of hold time and the agent was able to fix my issue in minutes once I actually reached a human. You might not need to call the IRS, but if you do, this is a game changer during tax season when wait times are insane.

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Aisha Ali

•8M

They don't need your tax information at all. They just connect the call - you're the one who talks directly to the IRS agent. They use technology to navigate the phone menus and wait on hold so you don't have to. When an agent is about to answer, their system calls your phone and connects you directly to that agent. I was extremely skeptical too, especially after trying everything from calling at odd hours to using different phone numbers. Nothing worked until this. The IRS lines are definitely overwhelmed, that's why this service exists. It doesn't magically create more IRS agents - it just holds your place in line so you don't have to sit there listening to hold music for hours. When I called myself, I gave up after 2+ hours. With this, I was talking to an agent in 15 minutes (though they called me after about an hour to make the connection).

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Yuki Nakamura

•8M

I need to eat my words from my earlier comment. After continuing to struggle getting through to the IRS about a missing refund issue, I reluctantly tried Claimyr yesterday. I was 100% convinced it would be a waste of time since I had already tried calling the IRS directly 5 separate times and never got through. To my complete shock, I got a call back about 45 minutes later connecting me directly to an IRS representative who actually helped resolve my issue. I had been trying for WEEKS to talk to someone. The agent told me they're severely understaffed and most callers are giving up after 2+ hours on hold, which explains why I never got through on my own. For anyone dealing with tax filing issues that require talking to the IRS, this service actually works. I'm still surprised, but definitely relieved to finally have my refund issue sorted out.

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StarSurfer

•8M

Cash App Taxes is still completely free for both federal and state returns as of 2025. I just checked their site yesterday to confirm. They do support basic cryptocurrency reporting, but it's somewhat limited. If you made just a few trades, it should work fine. But if you have extensive crypto activity, you might need a different service. For multiple state returns, you're right - they don't support that at all. You need to have income from just one state for it to work properly.

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