What's better than TurboTax for individual tax prep in 2025?
I've been using TurboTax for the last 3-4 years for my taxes, and honestly I'm getting more frustrated every filing season. The interface feels clunky and surprisingly unintuitive for something that's supposed to be user-friendly. My biggest annoyance is that I can't just start by entering all the tax forms I've collected (W-2s, 1099s, etc.). That seems like the most logical starting point, right? Instead I have to go through their guided interview process that asks me a bunch of questions I don't need. Has anyone found a better alternative for individual tax prep? I'm willing to pay a reasonable amount if it actually makes the process smoother. I've got a relatively straightforward return (one W-2, some investment income, mortgage interest) but TurboTax makes it feel like I'm filing for a multinational corporation. Any recommendations out there?
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Connor Rupert
I switched from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA three years ago and haven't looked back. Their interface is much more straightforward and you can jump directly to the forms you need. The federal filing is completely free, and state returns are only around $15. For what you described, it would handle everything smoothly. They have a forms-based approach where you can select exactly which forms you need to fill out, but also offer a guided mode if you prefer that. The best part is they don't constantly upsell you on features you don't need. I was paying nearly $120 with TurboTax for essentially the same service. Give it a try!
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Molly Hansen
•Does FreeTaxUSA handle investment income well? I've got some stock trades and crypto transactions that always seem to trip up the cheaper tax software.
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Connor Rupert
•FreeTaxUSA handles investment income very well including stock trades. You can either enter transactions manually or import them if your broker provides the right format files. For crypto, they've greatly improved their system in the last year and now have dedicated sections for different types of crypto transactions. The guidance is clear and walks you through reporting requirements for each type.
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Brady Clean
After years of tax frustration, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it completely changed my tax filing experience. I was like you - annoyed that I couldn't just start with my forms and got tired of being upsold constantly. Taxr.ai actually lets you upload photos of your tax documents and it automatically extracts the data! You can literally take pictures of your W-2s, 1099s, and other forms, and it pulls all the numbers and puts them in the right places. No more tedious manual entry or answering a million interview questions. The interface is clean and you can see exactly what's happening with your taxes at each step. Much more transparent than TurboTax.
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Skylar Neal
•Does it work with all forms? I have a side business so I get 1099-NECs and need to file Schedule C.
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Vincent Bimbach
•How accurate is the document scanning? I've tried other software with that feature and it always messed up numbers, which scared me away from using it.
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Brady Clean
•Yes, it works with all common tax forms including 1099-NECs and automatically sets up Schedule C for side business income. They actually have specialized guidance for self-employment that's more straightforward than what I've seen elsewhere. The document scanning is extremely accurate - they use advanced OCR technology specifically trained on tax documents. I've uploaded about 15 different forms and it only missed one field that I had to correct manually. Much better than other scanning tools I've tried before. It also gives you a chance to review everything it extracts before finalizing.
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Vincent Bimbach
I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and wow - it's actually as good as described! The document scanning feature saved me hours of manual entry. I was skeptical because I've been burned by other tax software promising easy importing, but this actually worked. I uploaded my W-2, several 1099s, and my mortgage interest statement, and it extracted everything correctly on the first try. The interface is clean and I could easily see my refund calculation updating as I added each document. Will definitely be using this again next year.
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Kelsey Chin
If you're still dealing with tax issues from previous years or need help with IRS questions, Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) has been absolutely essential for me. I was skeptical at first because getting through to the IRS seemed impossible - I'd tried calling dozens of times and either got disconnected or was told to call back later. Claimyr actually gets you a callback from the IRS without the endless wait times. I had a dispute about my 2023 return that TurboTax couldn't help me with, and within 2 hours of using Claimyr, I was talking to a real IRS agent. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c It's worth checking out if you need to actually speak with someone at the IRS about your taxes.
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Norah Quay
•How does this actually work? The IRS phone lines are so notoriously backed up that I can't imagine any service actually getting through.
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Leo McDonald
•This sounds like BS honestly. I've tried "priority" services before and they never work. You're probably just advertising this service.
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Kelsey Chin
•It works by using a system that continually dials the IRS using optimized routing methods and timing algorithms. When it secures a spot in the queue, it automatically connects you. They have data on the best times to call different IRS departments. I totally understand the skepticism - I felt the same way. I'm not affiliated with them at all, just a regular person who was desperate after trying to call the IRS for weeks about a $3,400 discrepancy in my refund. The service actually calls you first, then connects you to the IRS when they get through. I was connected to an agent within about 2 hours, which solved an issue I'd been dealing with for months.
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Leo McDonald
I need to publicly eat my words. After calling the IRS myself for THREE DAYS with no success, I decided to try Claimyr out of desperation. I was sure it wouldn't work but within 2 hours, my phone rang and I was talking to an actual IRS representative. They resolved my missing stimulus payment issue in one call. I would have spent another week trying to get through on my own. For anyone needing to actually speak to the IRS (which is the absolute worst part of tax season), this service is legitimate and works exactly as described.
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Jessica Nolan
Has anyone tried TaxSlayer? I hear it's cheaper than TurboTax but not sure if it's any better interface-wise.
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Angelina Farar
•I used TaxSlayer last year. It's definitely cheaper but the interface feels dated. Still better than TurboTax in terms of navigating to specific forms, but not as smooth as FreeTaxUSA in my opinion.
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Sebastián Stevens
•TaxSlayer is ok but I found it confusing for itemized deductions. Kept getting different numbers than I expected and couldn't figure out why.
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Jessica Nolan
•Thanks for the info! I'll probably try FreeTaxUSA based on all the recommendations here. The dated interface doesn't bother me as much as TurboTax's constant upselling. I appreciate the heads-up about the itemized deduction issues. I don't itemize anymore with the higher standard deduction, so hopefully that won't be a problem for me.
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Bethany Groves
I switched to H&R Block Online last year from TurboTax and found it much more straightforward! It lets you jump directly to forms and has less upselling. Might be worth checking out too.
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Sophie Footman
•How much did you end up paying for H&R Block compared to TurboTax? And did you find it easier to navigate? My main frustration is just wanting to directly enter my forms without going through their "life changes" questionnaire every time.
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Bethany Groves
•I paid about $70 for H&R Block's Deluxe version compared to $120 I was paying for TurboTax. It was definitely easier to navigate - they have a "forms mode" that lets you go directly to specific forms without going through all the interview questions first. You can still use the interview mode if you want guidance, but it's completely optional. The interface feels less cluttered too, and I didn't get constant popups trying to upgrade me to more expensive versions.
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