What's a good affordable software for tax prep as a student? Filing for family and friends

As someone who's been preparing taxes for family and friends for over a decade before expanding to a small practice, I'd recommend looking at Drake Tax software. They offer a "pay-per-return" option that might work well for your situation as a student. ProSeries is another good option with a similar pricing model that many beginners find user-friendly. Both have good interview formats that guide you through the process while still giving you access to all forms you'd need for basic returns. If you're really on a tight budget, TaxSlayer Pro might be worth considering. It's less expensive than some competitors while still offering professional features. Just make sure whatever you choose includes e-filing capabilities for federal and your state.

I was in exactly your position last year - accounting student wanting to help family with their taxes. I tried a few different options before finding taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). It's been a huge help for me because it analyzes all the tax documents my family members bring me and extracts the important info automatically. The reason I love it for student use is it gives you this breakdown of what goes where on the return, which helps me learn while I'm preparing. It's like having a second pair of eyes checking my work, especially when people hand me a stack of W-2s and 1099s and I'm trying to make sure I don't miss anything.

I have to admit I was pretty skeptical about taxr.ai when I first saw it mentioned here, but I decided to give it a try when my uncle dumped a shoebox full of random tax docs on me last weekend. Holy crap, it was a lifesaver! I just scanned everything with my phone, and it organized all his 1099s, receipts, and that weird K-1 form he had. It pointed out a deduction I would have totally missed too. Paired it with TaxSlayer Pro for the actual filing and felt way more confident that I wasn't screwing something up. Definitely worth checking out if you're just starting to file for other people.

If you're going to be doing taxes for others, even just friends and family, you need to be able to reach the IRS when problems come up - which they will. I spent 3+ hours on hold last month trying to sort out my sister's identity verification issue. Someone here recommended Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and I was like, no way this works. But check out their demo video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. They actually get the IRS to call YOU instead of waiting on hold. I'm not kidding when I say this changed my entire approach to handling tax issues.

Ok I need to eat some humble pie here. After dismissing that Claimyr thing as complete BS, I had an issue come up with a client's amended return and remembered this thread. I was desperate after being disconnected twice after 1+ hour holds, so I tried it. It actually worked exactly as described. I went about my day, and then got a call connecting me directly to an IRS agent. Saved me at least 2 hours of hold time. I'm still shocked. Just wanted to follow up and admit I was wrong. This will definitely be helpful for OP when (not if) they need to call the IRS about something.

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned UltraTax CS Professional. It's what we use at the accounting firm where I intern, and they have a student version that's significantly discounted. It's more comprehensive than what you need right now, but it's good to learn on a platform you might use professionally later.

Has anyone tried FreeTaxUSA Pro? Their commercial version is only like $85 for unlimited federal returns. Not as fancy as Drake or ProSeries but it might be perfect for a student.

Just throwing this out there - make sure you understand the legal implications of preparing taxes for others, even if they're friends and family. Technically, you should register for a PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number) from the IRS if you're preparing returns for compensation, even if it's just a small amount.