You don’t have to do your own taxes, but you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to file your income tax return either. If you have a relatively simple tax situation — for example, if you work for a single employer and don’t qualify for many itemized tax deductions — you can take advantage of more than a dozen free online tax preparation software programs for your federal tax return.
That’s great news if you don’t want to eat into your federal tax refund or fork over your credit card number before sending your tax return off to the IRS (though there are solid arguments to be made for paying taxes with a credit card).
Several services, including top players like TurboTax and H&R Block, also offer free state tax returns, raising the possibility of a completely fee-free tax season. These services are available to residents of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. nationals serving abroad.
Keep reading to find the best tax software for your budget and required services.
Top Free Online Tax Software and Services
1. TurboTax Free Edition
TurboTax is one of the most popular and user-friendly tax preparation platforms in the United States. If your tax situation is relatively simple, you likely qualify for its free federal and state filing program.
TurboTax Free Edition ($0 Federal + $0 State + $0 To File) is available for those filing simple Form 1040 returns only (no schedules except as needed to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, student loan interest, and Schedule 1-A). ~37% of taxpayers qualify.
TurboTax Free Edition includes most of the features and functionality of TurboTax’s paid options, including a best/fastest refund guarantee, support via live chat, W-2 import, and your choice of e-filing or print-and-mail filing. You can file your first state return for free — that’s a value of approximately $50.
TurboTax’s tax prep interface is incredibly intuitive, with simple, straightforward questions that guide you through every step of the filing process, reducing the likelihood of a preventable error. It’s available to residents of all 50 states. And there’s no maximum income limit. You can even use it if you have unemployment income from all or part of the year.
However, TurboTax Free Edition is not appropriate for complex tax situations beyond the basic Form 1040. If you have significant interest or capital gains income, rental property income, small business expenses/income, or need to itemize deductions, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.
Customer support for anything but technical issues is more limited at this price point. If you want to pay your tax prep fees with your federal refund, you must pay a refund payment processing fee.
The good news: Intuit TurboTax has several plans at multiple price points. If you feel like the free version is no longer suitable for your needs, it’s easy to upgrade to a paid plan at any time without losing any information.
See our full TurboTax review for a complete analysis.
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2. H&R Block Online Free Edition
H&R Block is one of the United States’ best-known tax preparation firms. It has thousands of storefront tax prep outlets scattered about the United States, along with a powerful, user-friendly online tax prep option for at-home filers. If your tax situation isn’t particularly complex, you likely qualify for its free federal filing program, which includes unlimited free state returns.
H&R Block’s free filing plan is ideal for people with simple tax situations, including those who qualify for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Approximately 55% of filers qualify. The free edition covers simple tax situations with Form 1040 and no schedules except Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Student Loan Interest, and Retirement Plan Distributions.
However, it’s not set up to support filers with capital gains or losses, self-employment income, investment income, and real estate income. It also doesn’t allow you to store or access returns from previous tax years — you need to upgrade to a paid plan for that. There’s a stiff additional fee to pay your filing fees with your refund using H&R Block’s Refund Transfer service too.
On the other hand, H&R Block’s free edition has some nice perks. For starters, it’s available to residents of all 50 states and has no income restrictions. All filers automatically qualify for free, in-person audit support, which includes hands-on advice and assistance with audit preparation. And, if you ever get badly stuck, you can always walk into an H&R Block office near you, though you may have to pay extra for in-person assistance.
See our full H&R Block review for a complete analysis.
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3. Cash App Taxes
Cash App Taxes (formerly Credit Karma Tax) has one plan, and it’s totally free for all filers. It doesn’t get better than that.
There are some devils in the details. Unlike larger competitors, Cash App Taxes has no expert support to speak of, so it’s not a great choice if the complexity of your tax situation exceeds your familiarity with tax law. The platform does have some functionality gaps that may impact filers with unusual tax situations (for instance, those who earned income from foreign sources or need to file multiple state returns). And you’ll need to download the Cash App if you haven’t already.
On the bright side, Cash App Taxes boasts free federal and state returns, plus 24/7 customer support. Like the rest of the Cash App, the tax prep interface is colorful and mobile-friendly. In fact, you can easily complete the entire tax prep process from your phone.
Cash App Taxes is particularly appealing because it handles complex tax situations at no cost — including self-employment income, stock sales, cryptocurrency transactions, and rental property income. Most other “free” services would charge you to upgrade for these features.
The biggest limitation: You can only file one state return. If you worked in multiple states or moved during the tax year, Cash App Taxes won’t work for you.
See our Cash App Taxes review for a full analysis.
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4. TaxSlayer Simply Free
TaxSlayer‘s Simply Free plan has no residency or citizenship restrictions, but it is income-restricted and has specific eligibility requirements. TaxSlayer’s Simply Free plan is available for taxpayers with taxable income of $100,000 or less from wages, salaries, tips, taxable interest of $1,500 or less, and/or unemployment compensation. You must be filing single or married filing jointly with no dependents claimed.
One free state return is included; additional state returns are available for about $39.95 per filing.
TaxSlayer’s Simply Free plan has some key limitations, however. Once built to support tax situations across the complexity spectrum, the plan is now for the simplest situations only. It excludes common situations like:
Filing with dependents
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
Itemized deductions
Self-employment income (sole proprietor and S-Corporation)
Stock sales and investment income beyond $1,500 in interest
Rental property income
Most tax credits beyond the American Opportunity Tax Credit, Lifetime Learning Credit, and student loan interest deduction
Plus, you can’t take advantage of TaxSlayer’s audit assistance services or use the website’s live chat feature. And though phone support is available from TaxSlayer’s nonprofessional customer service team, TaxSlayer pushes higher-paying clients — those using the Premium and Self-Employed editions — to the front of the line when they call. So if you call at a busy time, plan to get comfortable.
See our full TaxSlayer review for a complete analysis.
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5. TaxAct Free Edition
TaxAct’s Free Edition is available for those filing simple Form 1040 returns only without having to attach any forms or schedules. About 44% of users qualify. The free version covers situations including W-2 income, unemployment income, retirement income, Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, dependents, current students, and student loan interest.
This option was once quite expansive and appropriate for virtually any tax situation. But that’s no longer the case. TaxAct Free Edition does not support investment income (stocks, interest beyond basics, dividends, crypto, or capital gains/losses), sale of home, real estate taxes, mortgage interest, rental property income, itemized deductions, HSA contributions, or self-employment income. If you need any of these features, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.
On the bright side, state returns cost $39.99 per filing, though paying your federal filing fees with your refund will set you back a few bucks.
See our full TaxAct review for a complete analysis.
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6. FreeTaxUSA Free Edition
Though it’s not as well-known, FreeTaxUSA offers free federal tax filing for tax situations of all complexity levels. Known as the Free Edition, it supports all major forms and schedules, including self-employment income (Schedule C), making it particularly valuable for freelancers and small business owners. This is a major advantage, as most competitors charge $50 to $100+ for self-employment filing.
FreeTaxUSA also offers free live support from customer service professionals, though its roster of tax professionals doesn’t measure up to bigger competitors like TurboTax and H&R Block. FreeTaxUSA is available to filers across the United States, although state returns cost $14.99 each.
The platform supports useful features like prior-year return importing and storage, making it easy to file year after year. It handles complex topics like home deductions and credits, investment sales, rental income, and cryptocurrency transactions — all for free.
FreeTaxUSA has some noteworthy drawbacks, including a lack of audit assistance in the free version (though this is available as an add-on with the Deluxe version, which includes help interpreting IRS notices, drafting responses, and preparing the documents necessary to navigate your audit). It’s also not very mobile-friendly, making it a poor choice for filers utilizing tablets or smartphones.
See our FreeTaxUSA review for more information.
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7. IRS Free File and Fillable Forms
American taxpayers with $84,000 or less in Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for tax year 2024 (filed in 2025) can use the IRS’ free file program through the Free File Alliance. This program provides guided tax preparation software from eight partner companies at no cost. Each partner has its own eligibility requirements based on age, income, state residency, and other factors.
The IRS Free File program is appropriate for filers with various tax situations — it’s not just for simple returns. Depending on which partner you choose, you may be able to file complex returns including self-employment income, itemized deductions, and various tax credits.
That said, with the IRS Free Fillable Forms option (available to taxpayers at all income levels), what you see is what you get. You won’t get any explainers, Q&A support, help with calculations, or the ability to make changes or amendments easily. These are electronic versions of IRS paper forms with basic calculation assistance.
IRS Free File and Fillable Forms can be a great resource if you meet the income requirements and have above-average comfort with the American tax system, but they’re far from beginner-friendly.
The IRS has many educational resources to explain certain parts of the filing process, so it’s not impossible to do it yourself. It also gives you the peace of mind that you’re cutting out the middleman by filing directly with the IRS.
The IRS makes its entire database of tax forms and schedules available in PDF format at FreeFileFillableForms.com. To complete your tax return, complete the appropriate forms online and submit them through the IRS’s e-filing system. You’ll receive your refund (if eligible) on the same schedule as you would with a branded online tax preparation service. With Free File Fillable Forms, your work is automatically saved as you go, so you don’t need to complete your entire return in one sitting.
No income, age, citizenship status or other eligibility restrictions exist for Free File Fillable Forms.
8. Volunteer Tax Programs
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) are IRS-funded programs for individuals who meet certain requirements. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $67,000 or less, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns.
TCE is designed for taxpayers aged 60 and above. Compared to VITA, TCE support has more specialized guidance for Social Security, pensions, annuities, and retirement disbursements.
Because these programs are supported directly by the IRS, the service providers who participate must complete the required training before offering tax services. This training focuses on changes to code from previous tax years, data privacy and confidentiality guidelines, and tax law nuances.
All federal and state tax returns must be peer-reviewed by another volunteer before they are submitted. You can find a VITA or TCE office using the IRS’s locator tool. You may need an appointment and it may not be as convenient as other tax software that allows you to file free federal returns.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do free software companies make money?
Free software companies make money by charging for additional features, like customer support, and offering more robust paid packages. Some companies, like TurboTax, H&R Block, and others participate in the IRS Free File Alliance, which is subsidized through a partnership between the IRS and participating companies to provide free tax filing options for eligible individuals and families.
Who qualifies for free tax filing software?
The income requirements for free tax filing software can depend on the specific resource you use. For example, the IRS Free File program is available to anyone with an adjusted gross income of $84,000 or less for tax year 2024, while VITA is available to those who generally make $67,000 or less. Some services like Cash App Taxes and FreeTaxUSA have no income limits at all for their free federal filing.
Many free tax software programs also have restrictions based on the complexity of your tax situation. Simple returns with W-2 income and standard deductions typically qualify, while more complex situations with self-employment income, itemized deductions, or investment income may require paid upgrades.
What features do free tax software programs provide?
Free tax software programs simplify the tax filing process by breaking each section into simple step-by-step Q&A style prompts. They allow people to file their federal and, in many cases, state returns for free. Features vary by provider but typically include:
W-2 and sometimes 1099 import capabilities
Automatic calculations and error checking
Support for common tax credits like EITC and Child Tax Credit
E-filing directly to the IRS
Prior-year return importing
Basic customer support via email or chat
However, free programs may not offer as much hands-on guidance, access to tax professionals, or audit support as paid resources.
Is there a disadvantage to filing taxes electronically?
There are a few disadvantages to filing electronically. Most notably, you can’t e-file if you need to attach additional forms to your return, if you’re filing on behalf of a deceased person, or if you need more space than the additional space section allows.
Electronic filing isn’t available for individuals or businesses who file before the IRS officially opens the filing season (typically late January) or after the October extension deadline. E-filing also presents the risk of data loss or corruption, though reputable tax software companies use bank-level encryption and security measures.
However, the advantages typically outweigh the disadvantages. E-filing is faster, more accurate, and results in quicker refunds compared to paper filing.
Final Word
Filing taxes takes time and effort, and even the best software programs can’t totally protect you against mistakes. Filing for free can’t make up for the inconvenience, but at least it keeps more of your money where it belongs: in your wallet.
Still, free filing options aren’t for everyone. If you have a complicated tax situation — particularly if you’re self-employed, own a small business, or have investment income from multiple sources — it’s likely not worth the small upfront savings. A mistake could easily offset the money you saved on your return. And you might set yourself up for a stressful, potentially costly IRS audit.
So there’s no shame in opting for a paid plan or even hiring a certified public accountant who can provide hands-on attention. Better safe than sorry, we always say.
