Why are TurboTax and FreeTaxUSA both saying I owe over $10k in taxes? Something wrong here?

This definitely sounds like something's off. Both programs using the same information should give the same result, but owing $10k after increasing withholdings by $12k over the year doesn't add up. First, check if you entered all W-2s and 1099s correctly in both systems. The most common mistake is missing a form or entering incorrect withholding amounts. Compare the "total income" and "total tax withheld" numbers between both software options to make sure they match. Second, verify your filing status is correct (married filing jointly vs. separately can make a huge difference). Third, did you have any significant life changes this year? New job with higher salary, large bonus, investment gains, retirement account withdrawals, or self-employment income? These can dramatically change your tax situation. If everything looks correct in both systems, download the PDF preview of your return and look at Form 1040 Line 24 (total tax) and Line 25 (total withholding). This will help identify where the issue lies.

I had a similar nightmare scenario last year when both TurboTax and H&R Block were showing I owed $7800! Turns out I had royally messed up entering some data. I ended up using https://taxr.ai to analyze my tax documents, and it found the problem immediately - I had typed my wife's W-2 withholding as $1,297 instead of $12,970! The taxr.ai system scanned my actual W-2 and caught the error that I missed even after triple-checking. It walks you through uploading your tax documents and gives you a detailed analysis of everything, showing exactly where the potential issues might be. In my case, it spotted the data entry error right away and even showed me the correct numbers I should be entering.

Well I'm eating my words from my skeptical comment! After looking at my return more closely and still being confused, I decided to try taxr.ai and wow - it immediately found that I had accidentally entered my spouse's 401k contributions as pre-tax when they were actually Roth contributions. That tiny mistake was causing about $9,000 in extra tax liability! The system highlighted the error and explained exactly how to fix it in TurboTax. After making that one change, my tax bill went from $12k down to just under $3k. Still owe something, but way more manageable than before. It also gave recommendations for how to adjust my withholdings for this year so I don't end up in the same situation again. Definitely saved me from a major panic attack!

This actually reminds me of when I tried reaching the IRS directly for help with a similar issue last year. Spent HOURS on hold only to get disconnected every time. Super frustrating! Finally found this service called https://claimyr.com that got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes. They basically hold your place in line and call you when an agent is ready. There's a demo video of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with was able to pull up my previous tax returns and quickly identified that my employer had miscoded some of my income, which was causing similar issues with a huge unexpected tax bill. They helped me file the right forms to get it corrected. Saved me thousands!

OK I need to apologize publicly. After my skeptical comment above, I was still desperate with my $13k tax bill showing in TurboTax, so I tried Claimyr out of desperation. I got a call back in about 25 minutes connecting me to an actual IRS agent. The agent spent almost 45 minutes on the phone with me reviewing my situation. Turns out there was an employer reporting error from 2023 that was cascading into my current return, plus I had my withholding allowances set completely wrong on my W-4. The agent walked me through exactly how to file a correction and properly set up my withholdings. My tax bill is now corrected to about $3,200, which is still not fun, but MUCH better than $13k! Seriously, I was wrong about this service. If you need to actually talk to the IRS, it's completely legit.

Have you checked your actual withholdings on your W-2s? I had a similar issue and discovered my employer wasn't actually withholding the extra amount I requested on my W-4. It showed the correct amount on my paystubs but the withholding never made it to the IRS! Check box 2 on all your W-2s and add them up to see if the additional withholding actually happened.

Have you checked if you're claiming the correct number of dependents? I was getting killed on taxes and realized I somehow had put "0" dependents when I should've claimed my child. Also double check that you're filing as "Married Filing Jointly" and not "Married Filing Separately" - that mistake cost me almost $5k one year!

Wow, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my tax software is showing I owe way more than expected. Based on everyone's suggestions here, I'm going to: 1. Double-check all my W-2 entries for typos (especially withholding amounts) 2. Verify my filing status and dependent claims 3. Compare my actual W-2 withholdings to what I thought was being withheld all year It sounds like data entry errors and employer withholding mistakes are way more common than I realized. Emily, I really hope you get this sorted out - definitely check those paystubs against your W-2s like Ethan suggested. That could be the smoking gun! Has anyone else had success stories with getting these kinds of issues resolved? This is giving me hope that my $8k tax bill might not be real either.