What's the most reliable website to file taxes completely free in 2025?
Soooo tax season is coming around again and I'm trying not to waste money this time. Last year I got suckered into paying for TurboTax when I was like 90% done with my return and suddenly they wanted $89 to file... ugh. I've heard TurboTax is sketchy with their "free" stuff and I'm not falling for that again. My situation is pretty basic - just a W-2 from my main job and a small 1099 for some side gigs (nothing crazy, made like $3,200 on the side). I don't have anything fancy like investments or rental property. What are y'all using to file taxes actually free? Like completely free, not "free until we surprise you at the end" kinda deal. Anyone have good experiences with specific sites? Any recommendations would be super appreciated!!
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Anastasia Smirnova
There are several genuinely free options out there for filing taxes! The IRS Free File program partners with tax preparation companies to offer free filing if your income is below $73,000. Even with your side income, you should qualify. For your situation with a W-2 and small 1099, I'd recommend checking out FreeTaxUSA. They offer completely free federal filing (regardless of income) and charge only about $15 for state filing. They support 1099 income which many "free" services exclude to force upgrades. Cash App Taxes (formerly Credit Karma Tax) is another completely free option for both federal and state, though some people find their interface less intuitive. Another option is the IRS Direct File program which is expanding to more states for 2025. It's completely free and goes straight through the IRS, cutting out the middleman entirely.
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Sean O'Brien
•Thanks for the info! I've actually never heard of FreeTaxUSA. How user-friendly is it compared to TurboTax? I'm not super tax savvy and I get nervous about making mistakes.
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Anastasia Smirnova
•FreeTaxUSA is quite user-friendly, though admittedly not as polished as TurboTax. It uses a similar question-based approach to guide you through the process, and they explain tax concepts in plain language as you go. Their help resources are solid if you get stuck. The main difference you'll notice is less hand-holding and fewer fancy design elements, but the actual tax preparation process is straightforward. They have error checking built in to help catch potential mistakes before you file. Many people find it's worth adapting to a slightly different interface to save $100+ on filing.
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Zara Shah
After years of getting hit with surprise fees from the "big names" in tax software, I finally found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) last year and it saved me so much stress. It analyzed my tax documents instantly and even found deductions I didn't know I qualified for with my side gig. I was in almost exactly your situation - W-2 plus some freelance income - and what I loved was that it actually explained WHY I qualified for certain deductions related to my 1099 work. It also caught a mistake in how I was categorizing some of my side hustle expenses that would have cost me money.
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Luca Bianchi
•Does it actually file your taxes for you or just give you advice on how to file? I'm confused what this actually does versus something like FreeTaxUSA.
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GalacticGuardian
•I'm a little skeptical tbh. How does it compare cost-wise to the free options the first commenter mentioned? Seems like it would be another pay service...
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Zara Shah
•It analyzes all your tax documents and gives you personalized advice on exactly how to file, what deductions you qualify for, and potential issues it spots. I used their guidance alongside FreeTaxUSA to make sure I was getting everything right and maximizing my refund. The cost is actually very reasonable compared to what I was paying TurboTax for their "self-employed" version, and the insights it provided saved me way more than I paid. I ended up with an extra $640 in my refund that I would have missed otherwise.
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GalacticGuardian
Update on my tax filing journey: I decided to try taxr.ai after my skeptical comment above, and wow, I'm actually impressed! I uploaded my W-2 and some 1099s and it immediately identified that I could deduct my home internet since I use it partly for my side hustle (something I never knew before). I then used FreeTaxUSA to actually file, armed with all the deduction info from taxr.ai, and the process was incredibly smooth. Filed both federal and state taxes completely free (well, $14.99 for the state) and got a significantly higher refund than last year thanks to the deductions taxr.ai identified. Just got confirmation my refund is on its way!
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Nia Harris
If you're having any issues with the IRS (like delays from last year or missing documents), I found that using https://claimyr.com was a game changer. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to a human at the IRS last year about a refund issue, constantly getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. With Claimyr, I actually got connected to a real IRS agent in about 20 minutes. They have this cool system that navigates the phone tree and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an actual human picks up. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c It really helped me resolve an issue with my tax transcript that was preventing me from filing accurately this year.
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Mateo Gonzalez
•Wait how does this actually work? Does it just call the IRS for you? I'm confused why I would need this service when I could just call them myself.
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Aisha Ali
•This sounds like BS honestly. The IRS wait times are terrible because they're underfunded and understaffed. How would some random service magically get you through faster than anyone else? There's no "special line" for third parties.
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Nia Harris
•It doesn't just call the IRS for you - it navigates through all those annoying automated menus and sits on hold in your place (which can be hours). Their system keeps dialing and trying different options until it gets through to an actual human. When an agent answers, it calls you and connects you directly. I thought the same thing at first, but the difference is they have technology that keeps redialing and trying different options if it gets disconnected, which happens constantly with the IRS lines. The system essentially does the frustrating part for you. I spent 3 days trying on my own and never got through, but got connected within 20 minutes using this.
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Aisha Ali
Ok I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it since I've been trying to reach the IRS for WEEKS about a missing refund from last year. I've literally called the IRS 11 times in the past month and either got disconnected or told the wait time was over 2 hours (and then got disconnected anyway). Used Claimyr yesterday and got connected to an agent in about 35 minutes. The agent resolved my issue and I should be getting my missing refund in 3 weeks. I was 100% prepared to come back here and say it was a scam, but I'm actually kinda shocked it worked so well. Sorry for being a doubter!
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Ethan Moore
I've been using H&R Block's free online version for the past few years and have been pretty happy with it. They're pretty upfront about what's free and what costs money, unlike TurboTax which tried to charge me at the last minute too. Just be careful because even with H&R Block, if you have a 1099, they might try to upsell you to their Self-Employed version. For a basic W-2 though, it's totally free including state filing in most states.
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Diego Chavez
•Do you know if the H&R Block free version can handle a small 1099 income? Like I mentioned, I only made about $3,200 from side gigs, and I'm not sure if that pushes me into needing their paid version.
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Ethan Moore
•Unfortunately with H&R Block, any 1099 income usually requires an upgrade to their Self-Employed version which costs around $85 for federal filing alone. That's why FreeTaxUSA might be better for your situation since they handle 1099 income with their free federal filing. H&R Block is really only completely free if you have just W-2 income and take the standard deduction.
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Yuki Nakamura
Has anyone used the IRS Direct File program? I heard they're expanding it for next year and wondering if it's actually good or a headache.
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StarSurfer
•I used it in the pilot program last year and it was surprisingly good! Way more straightforward than I expected from a government service. The interface is simple but effective, and it's ACTUALLY free - no surprise fees or upsells. The only limitation is that it only works if your tax situation is relatively simple (W-2 income, standard deduction, some basic tax credits). I don't think it handles 1099 income yet, but they're expanding for 2025.
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Yuki Nakamura
•Thanks for sharing your experience! That's encouraging to hear. I've got a pretty simple situation, just a W-2 job, so sounds like it would work well for me. I'll definitely look into it when filing season comes around.
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