Submitting taxes is an annual ritual that the majority of us hope to complete shortly and cheaply.

TaxSlayer presents low-cost, on-line tax prep. Their free model isn’t as complete as different platforms, for instance it doesn’t assist dependents. Nevertheless, their paid plans are cheaper than its rivals.

This TaxSlayer evaluation might help you determine if that is the easiest way to file your taxes.

🔃 This publish was up to date on 01/04/2025 with the brand new 2025 pricing.

Is TaxSlayer Actually Free?

TaxSlayer allows you to file these easy tax returns free of charge:

• Submitting single or married submitting collectively
• No dependents
• Taxable revenue beneath $100,000
• Customary deduction
• W-2 revenue
• Each spouses beneath age 65
• Unemployment revenue
• Pupil mortgage curiosity
• Training bills
• Taxable curiosity of $1,500 or much less

Mainly, for those who solely have a W-2 or unemployment revenue, earn lower than $100,000, don’t have any dependents,m and are beneath age 65, you’ll be able to file free of charge. This contains each federal and one state.

TaxSlayer Pricing

The TaxSlayer submitting charges could be cheaper than most tax software program for federal and state returns.

Merely Free

• Federal value: $0
• State value: $0

The Merely Free plan presents one free federal and one free state tax return. You need to use this plan in case your taxable revenue is beneath $100,000, you declare the usual deduction, and also you don’t have any dependents. It’s essential to additionally file both single or married submitting collectively.

It covers W-2, unemployment, and curiosity revenue as much as $1,500. When you’ve got another kinds of revenue, resembling 1099, enterprise revenue, rental revenue, or funding revenue, you received’t be capable of use this plan.

It’s essential to take the usual deduction, however you’ll be able to deduct pupil mortgage curiosity funds and declare schooling credit.

You’ll be able to add final 12 months’s return and get limitless cellphone and e-mail technical assist, and TaxSlayer will auto-fill your W-2 type to stop reporting errors.

This free submitting possibility helps fewer tax conditions than many different tax software program. For instance, different platforms allow you to declare widespread tax credit for dependents, just like the Earned Revenue Tax Credit score and Little one Tax Credit score.

This plan doesn’t embrace IRS audit help just like the paid plans. Nevertheless, these returns are unlikely to trigger an audit pink flag due to their simplicity.

Get began with the Merely Free Version

Army

• Federal value: $0
• State value: $39.95

Federal returns are free for those who’re an active-duty servicemember, however every state return prices the usual $39.95.

All tax conditions are included. No restrictions. You’ll additionally rise up to 1 12 months of IRS inquiry help.

Get began with the Army Version

Traditional

• Federal value: $22.95
• State value: $39.95

The TaxSlayer Traditional covers all tax conditions with no restrictions. All revenue sorts, deductions, and credit are lined within the Traditional plan.

You’ll additionally be capable of auto-fill your W-2 and 1099 data and e-file. You’ll additionally get a 12 months of limitless cellphone and e-mail assist after you file you probably have further questions.

Get began with the Traditional Version

Premium

• Federal value: $42.95
• State value: $39.95

With Premium, you’ll get every thing from Traditional, plus:

• Ask a Tax Professional for one-on-one tax steerage
• Stay chat technical assist
• Precedence buyer assist
• As much as three years of IRS audit help

The Ask a Tax Professional characteristic could be the very best cause to improve for those who want private tax recommendation whereas getting ready your return. Federal submitting charges can simply exceed $100 for on-demand tax professional entry from different suppliers. Nevertheless, the help is through e-mail solely and is simply normal tax data. If you happen to want private recommendation to your distinctive scenario, chances are you’ll want to decide on one other software program.

You additionally rise up to 3 years of help if the IRS audits your federal tax return.

Get began with the Premium Version

Self-Employed

• Federal value: $52.95
• State value: $39.95

Freelancers, facet hustlers, and the full-time self-employed can profit from the Self-Employed plan to file your Schedule C.

The service also can ship quarterly reminders for estimated taxes.

Plan advantages embrace:

• Ask a Tax Professional entry
• Limitless cellphone, dwell chat and e-mail technical assist
• Estimated quarterly tax cost reminders
• As much as three years of IRS audit protection
• Self-employment revenue and deduction steerage

Receiving a 1099 type for facet hustle revenue doesn’t essentially imply you need to select this plan. When you’ve got minimal work bills, the Traditional or Premium possibility could be ample to your tax scenario.

If you happen to aren’t certain for those who want the Self-Employed plan or if Traditional will suffice, begin with Traditional and improve to Self-Employed if you must.

Get began with the Self Employed Version

Refund Choices

If you happen to’re eligible to obtain a federal tax refund, there are a number of methods to obtain it. TaxSlayer e-files your return and helps observe your refund standing.

Direct Deposit

All on-line tax software program presents direct deposit, and a mailed paper verify for those who pay your tax prep charges upfront. These are the 2 default supply choices from the IRS.

Direct deposit could be the quickest and best option to obtain your tax refund. The IRS sends most refunds inside 21 days utilizing direct deposit.

Paper Examine

The second method the IRS distributes tax refunds is by paper verify. There isn’t an additional payment, however it could possibly take as much as eight weeks (56 days) to obtain your cost.

TaxSlayer Visa Debit Card

You might also select to obtain your refund on a TaxSlayer Visa Debit Card Powered by GreenDot.

It is a reloadable pay as you go debit card with no month-to-month service charges.

The cardboard additionally contains these options you need to use after getting your tax refund:

• Free ASAP Direct Deposit
• No overdraft charges
• ATM entry
• Cellular app

Further charges can apply whenever you reload your card at native shops or for expedited cell verify deposits.

File and Go

For an extra payment of $39.99, you’ll be able to deduct your TaxSlayer charges out of your tax refund with the File and Go possibility. The IRS deposits your refund into an escrow account run by Civista Financial institution (FDIC #12982).

TaxSlayer withholds your tax prep charges and the remaining stability is deposited into your linked checking account or pay as you go debit card.

You would possibly select this cost possibility for those who don’t have a bank card to pay the submitting charges or don’t have the upfront money.

Buyer Help

TaxSlayer presents the next assist choices:

• On-line data base articles
• Telephone and e-mail technical assist
• E-mail entry to a tax skilled

These important instruments could be ample for many tax conditions and assist navigate the tax interview. You received’t be capable of obtain private tax steerage except you improve your plan, however you’ll be able to analysis your questions on-line.

Upgrading to the Premium or Self-Employed model allows you to ask written inquiries to a tax professional. This entry is cheaper than different platforms, however the competitors might supply real-time video streaming and display sharing. The solutions may also be normal tax data and shouldn’t be thought-about private recommendation.

One more reason to improve is to get precedence technical assist. The TaxSlayer assist workforce will reply to you first when you might have issue navigating the platform.

Key Options

Listed here are a few of the finest options TaxSlayer presents to make submitting your return simpler.

Auto-Import

You’ll be able to auto-import final 12 months’s tax return by importing a PDF doc from any tax software program. The corporate compares your credit and deductions for this 12 months and final 12 months to see for those who forgot something.

TaxSlayer also can autofill your W2 tax varieties, which reduces the chance of overlooking a field or mistyping a quantity.

Sadly, TaxSlayer doesn’t add funding paperwork.

Ask a Tax Professional

The Premium and Self-Employed plans include limitless “Ask a Tax Professional” entry.

You’ll be able to submit questions on-line to an IRS-certified tax professional and obtain a solution through e-mail or on the TaxSlayer platform.

Pricier providers might allow you to share your display with a tax professional and schedule a session. Different platforms can also supply the professional to evaluation your return or full it for you.

TaxSlayer doesn’t supply full-service help, however its decrease value could be ample for those who solely have to ask questions. Understand that this service is e-mail solely, and will not give customized solutions. Tax execs give normal tax recommendation. If you happen to suppose you’ll want particular recommendation to your scenario, chances are you’ll need to contemplate a special service.

IRS Audit Help

The TaxSlayer Traditional and Army plans supply one 12 months of IRS inquiry help. Protection begins when the IRS accepts your e-file return.

You get three years of IRS audit help whenever you improve to Premium or Self-Employed. If the IRS audits your return, TaxSlayer supplies audit preparation help.

Nevertheless, a TaxSlayer agent received’t present in-person illustration in the course of the audit course of.

Self-Employed Assist

Much like different on-line packages, selecting the Self-Employed tier supplies particular instruments that cheaper ranges don’t.

For instance, the TaxSlayer tax interview wizard might help you discover industry-specific deductions chances are you’ll overlook by selecting a less expensive plan.

You may as well print off varieties for estimated taxes and obtain quarterly reminders you don’t miss a submitting deadline.

TaxSlayer additionally sends tax ideas in the course of the 12 months that may aid you maximize your self-employment revenue.

Ensures

Two accuracy ensures can present peace of thoughts. These ensures are just like different on-line tax prep providers.

100% Accuracy Assure: TaxSlayer reimburses any federal or state penalties and curiosity attributable to a calculation error.

Most Refund Assure: You may get a refund of your TaxSlayer charges if one other tax software program calculates a better refund or smaller tax legal responsibility utilizing the identical data.

Is TaxSlayer Simple to Use?

The TaxSlayer platform could be simple to make use of, however you have to to manually enter extra tax paperwork than pricier platforms like TurboTax or H&R Block.

One other platform could be well worth the larger payment you probably have a number of brokerage statements to enter or have a number of funding gross sales to report. The auto-import comfort can prevent time and scale back the chance of information enter errors.

TaxSlayer Cellular App

The TaxSlayer app is obtainable for Android and Apple gadgets.

App options embrace:

• W-2 import
• Tax assist articles
• Telephone technical assist
• Tax refund estimator

As a result of TaxSlayer doesn’t import tax paperwork from banks and low cost brokers, the app could also be finest for easy returns that require minimal knowledge entry. You may as well begin your return utilizing the app and full the return on a pc that may be simpler to make use of.

Is TaxSlayer Legit?

TaxSlayer is a professional app to file your taxes at a low worth. The service has a 4.2 out of 5 Trustpilot rating, which is larger than most rivals.

One recurring optimistic TaxSlayer evaluation is the clear pricing and the step-by-step walkthroughs for easy or advanced conditions.

Widespread damaging complaints embrace not being the simplest app to navigate or being the very best service you probably have investments as you should manually enter the entire funding revenue. This is usually a time-consuming activity for those who offered a number of shares or use a number of brokers.

TaxSlayer Alternate options

TaxAct

TaxAct is probably going TaxSlayer’s closest competitor. Its paid plans are barely costlier, however the free model contains dependants and doesn’t have a most revenue restrict like TaxSlayer’s does.

You’ll be able to add life tax help to any plan for $60 and communicate to a tax professional over the cellphone and obtain customized recommendation, which you’ll’t do with TaxSlayer.

Right here’s our full evaluation of TaxAct for extra data.

Go to TaxAct

Free Tax USA

Free Tax USA presents free federal returns for all tax conditions, and state returns are solely $14.99 every. You’ll be able to improve and add on tax help for $39.99 to obtain assist from tax specialists who present customized recommendation. You’ll be able to contact the tax execs through video name, cellphone, or chat.

You may as well add on audit protection for $19.99.

Right here’s our full Free Tax USA evaluation for extra data

Go to Free Tax USA

Money App Taxes

Money App Taxes has free tax prep for all conditions, together with free state returns. Its greatest limitation is that you could’t file in a number of states. So for those who earned revenue exterior the state you presently dwell in, you received’t be capable of use Money App.

It additionally doesn’t present any tax help, so for those who suppose you will have questions, you received’t be capable of use Money App.

Right here’s our full Money App Taxes evaluation for extra data.

Go to Money App Taxes

Abstract

TaxSlayer is without doubt one of the finest low cost software program due to its aggressive costs for advanced tax conditions. The Ask a Tax Professional is an inexpensive possibility too.

One other platform might make it simpler to file your taxes free of charge you probably have dependents. Buyers with many tax paperwork might favor spending the additional cash and utilizing TurboTax that syncs with most monetary establishments to avoid wasting time.