What is the difference between FreeTaxUSA & TaxHawk? Are they separate companies?

Tax professional here! FreeTaxUSA and TaxHawk are indeed the same company. TaxHawk Inc. is the parent company that operates FreeTaxUSA as their consumer-facing tax preparation service. It can definitely be confusing because they maintain both brands. The software and features are essentially identical because they're the same product from the same company, just marketed under different names. TaxHawk was the original company name founded back in 2001, and FreeTaxUSA became their main consumer brand. Some minor pricing or promotional differences might exist between the two websites at various times, but you're using the same underlying tax preparation engine regardless of which site you go through.

I actually discovered this last year when I was looking for affordable tax filing options! FreeTaxUSA was a game changer for me after using those expensive options for years. When I had some questions about how to report some investment income, I was struggling to find clear answers. Then I found this site called https://taxr.ai that helped me interpret all my tax documents correctly. It's basically an AI tool that explains your tax forms in plain English and helps identify potential deductions I might have missed. The interface walks you through everything step by step, and it caught a mistake I made that would have cost me almost $400! Would definitely recommend checking it out if you're confused about any tax documents.

Just wanted to follow up about that taxr.ai site that was mentioned. I was struggling with entering all my crypto transactions in FreeTaxUSA and was ready to pay an accountant like $500. Decided to try the AI tool first and wow - it literally saved my sanity! It explained exactly how to categorize each transaction and identified some losses I could claim that I would have missed. Ended up saving me around $350 in taxes and I didn't need the accountant after all. If you're doing anything complicated with investments or self-employment on FreeTaxUSA, it's seriously worth checking out.

Since we're talking about tax filing resources, I had a nightmare experience trying to reach the IRS last year about an issue with my FreeTaxUSA filing. Spent THREE DAYS trying to get through their phone system before I found https://claimyr.com through a friend. You can also see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Basically they hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when an actual human agent is on the line. No more waiting on hold for hours! Used it to resolve my issue about a missing form that FreeTaxUSA said I needed to handle directly with the IRS. Got everything cleared up in one call after they connected me.

I have to eat my words about that Claimyr service. After my skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try it because I needed to resolve an issue with my previous year's return before filing with FreeTaxUSA this year. Within 2 hours of signing up, I got a call connecting me to an actual IRS agent! I had been trying for literally months on my own with no success. The agent fixed my account issue in about 15 minutes, and now I can file my return without worrying about it getting rejected. Honestly shocked that it worked so well after all my failed attempts.

Just to add another perspective on FreeTaxUSA/TaxHawk - I've used FreeTaxUSA for the past 3 years and it's way better than TurboTax for my needs. Federal filing is free and state is only like $15. I have a pretty simple tax situation though (W-2 income, mortgage interest, some basic investments). Does anyone know if there are any features TaxHawk has that FreeTaxUSA doesn't? Or is it literally the exact same software?

One important thing to note about FreeTaxUSA/TaxHawk - they don't support multiple state filings in a single return like some other services do. I work remotely but spent time in 3 different states last year, and I had to create separate returns for each state. It was kind of a pain. Anyone know if there's an easier way to handle multi-state returns with their software?

Thanks for all the helpful info everyone! I had no idea FreeTaxUSA and TaxHawk were the same company - that definitely clears up my confusion. It sounds like FreeTaxUSA is the way to go for most people, especially compared to the expensive options like TurboTax. I'm in a pretty straightforward tax situation (just W-2 and some student loan interest), so it should work well for me. I'll probably check both sites for any promo codes before I file, since it sounds like they sometimes have different deals running. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences!

I've been using FreeTaxUSA for about 5 years now and can confirm what others have said - it's a solid choice for most tax situations. The fact that it's the same company as TaxHawk explains why I sometimes see similar promotional emails from both! One thing I'd add is that their audit support is actually pretty decent too. I got selected for a random audit two years ago (nothing wrong, just bad luck) and FreeTaxUSA provided good documentation and some guidance through the process. For the price point, you really can't beat the value. I've recommended it to several friends who were tired of paying $100+ for TurboTax when they have simple returns. The only downside I've experienced is that their mobile app isn't as polished as some competitors, but the desktop version works great and that's where I do most of my tax prep anyway.

This thread has been super helpful! I was actually in the exact same boat as Rosie - seeing both FreeTaxUSA and TaxHawk everywhere and getting confused about whether they were competitors or what. Now I understand they're the same company, which makes so much more sense. I'm definitely leaning toward FreeTaxUSA after reading everyone's experiences. I've been using TurboTax for years but honestly getting tired of paying $80-100 every year when my taxes are pretty straightforward (just W-2, some 1099 interest, and standard deduction). The fact that federal is free and state is only around $15 sounds amazing compared to what I'm used to paying. Quick question for those who've made the switch - is the import feature decent? TurboTax automatically imports a lot of my info from previous years and from my bank/investment accounts. Does FreeTaxUSA have similar functionality or do you have to manually enter everything?

I switched to FreeTaxUSA three years ago after getting fed up with TurboTax's constantly increasing prices, and it's been fantastic. What really sold me was discovering that their customer service is actually better than the expensive alternatives - when I had a question about reporting freelance income, I got a helpful response within 24 hours via email. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that FreeTaxUSA has really good resources for self-employed folks and small business owners. Their guidance on Schedule C and business deductions is surprisingly thorough for such an affordable service. I run a small consulting business on the side and was worried I'd miss deductions, but their interview process caught everything I needed. Also worth noting - they offer free amendments if you need to correct something after filing, which saved me when I got a corrected 1099 a month after filing. Most other services charge $40+ for amendments. Between the low cost, good support, and helpful features, I can't see myself going back to the overpriced options.

I've been using FreeTaxUSA for the past two years and can definitely confirm what everyone's saying about it being great value. The fact that it's the same company as TaxHawk explains why I sometimes got confused when searching for reviews online! One thing I'd add is that their security features are actually really solid too. They use bank-level encryption and two-factor authentication, which was important to me after hearing horror stories about tax identity theft. The peace of mind is worth it, especially when you're saving so much compared to the big-name competitors. For anyone on the fence, I'd say just try FreeTaxUSA's free federal filing option - you can go through the entire process and see exactly what your return looks like before you pay anything for state filing. That way you can test out the interface and see if it meets your needs without any commitment. Coming from someone who used to pay $120+ annually for TurboTax, I wish I had made the switch years earlier!