While you could always go out and try to file your taxes on your own, let’s face the facts and admit that you’ll feel more secure when you use tax software designed for individuals. There’s a much lower chance that you’ll forget something important when a program guides you through the process, and you might even score a bigger tax refund than you were expecting when a program searches for things likely to help you.

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　　The best tax softwareTurboTaxH&R BlockTaxActTaxSlayerLiberty TaxHow we chose these tax software suitesShow 2 more items

　　But nowadays there are so many tax software creators out there, vying for your attention. And almost all of them seem to be offering something for free. How is the user experience, though? And do they offer professional tax advice when you have a unique situation that doesn’t fit perfectly in a dropdown box? Getting the best tax software filing suite for your circumstance is important, but which one will that be?

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The best tax software

Use if you want the most thorough and helpful tax software.Use as a great TurboTax alternative.Use if you’re experienced and want a no-frills tax experience.Use if you’re a seasoned pro that wants a little bit of guidance.Use if you want to cut out the extra steps and dive straight into your taxes.

TurboTax

Best overall tax software

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Pros	Cons
Intuitive interface	Many features gated behind extra pay
Optional audit protection plan available
Multiple way to interact with help

　　TurboTax from Intuit remains one of the most popular tax software options, and for good reason. The TurboTax system is easy to use, offers numerous explanations for all things tax-related, and has strong compatibility with past filings. The question-and-answer format makes filing on your own very easy, and there are online chat rooms with tax experts that you can consult should you mes with a variety of import tools to help you quickly gather your data from W-2s, last year’s return, ACA forms, and other documents. Some powerful auto-fill features ensure accurate information is transferred everywhere after just having to import it once. Otherwise, it’s a pretty simple program, although there is room for wizards that check for any important tax amendments and help you manage more complex scenarios.

　　However, it’s worth noting that while the Liberty Tax program is generally well-received, its brick-and-mortar establishment tends to have poor customer reviews, and so it may not be the best option for face-to-face help.

　　

Liberty Tax 2023/2024 Price Guide
Plan	Price	Price with state returns	Who it is for	Forms supported	Schedules supported
Basic	$46	$83	Simple tax situations (single, married no kids)	1040, 8853	A, B
Deluxe	$66	$103	More complex situations (kids, investments, homes)	1040, 4562, 8829, 4136, 8839, 8853	A, B, C
Premium	$86	$123	Self-employed people and those with less common income types	1040, 4562, 8829, 4136, 4684, 4835, 8839, 8853	A, B, C, E, F, K-1

　　*Note: All prices include discounts available at the time of this writing. This may change as the tax year continues.

　　

How we chose these tax software suites

If you want to get started on your taxes, what do you look for? Probably the same things we did when looking for the best tax software currently available. Namely, accuracy of the software, ease-of-use, and solid pricing. Here’s a look at each of those factors in detail. Be sure to scroll to the bottom for our price comparison table.

　　

Accuracy and reliability

There’s not a lot that really needs to be said here, the best tax software is accurate and reliable. The tax programs that we chose for our best are battle-tested and have been used for years. None are up-and-comers that haven’t seen their first tax season yet. In general, you should be able to trust that the tax software above will give you the most accurate return (or payment amount).

　　

Ease of use

If we received a dollar every time a person that reminded you that you can file your taxes yourself actually did so, we’d still be working. Taxes are hard. Tax software should make it easier. But the way you want it to be easier depends on your and your experience level.

　　Some tax software, and especially TurboTax, approaches filling out your taxes like an adventure over coffee. Questions and clicks are doled out to you in reasonable amounts and your hand is held through most of the more difficult aspects of filing your taxes. This is superb for people that don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to tax forms. In other words, most people. We also included some tax software that takes the training wheels off to varying degrees, so you can enjoy a guided experience but not get bogged down by “conversational” software.

　　

2023/2024 tax software price comparison

Taxes are all about money, so it only makes sense to think about the money. There are a ton of different plans to choose from, even from single tax software companies. For each of the best tax software companies, we included a plan pricing guide (based on the current price after tax software deals are include) to make your decision easier. Here, we attempt to compare pricing for the companies.

　　For each company, we’ve chosen a basic plan, average plan (basic situations), advanced plan (contractor work, extra tax situations), and state filing fee to compare prices. It’s truly impossible to compare these services perfectly — there is no 1-to-1 equivalent for Basic/Average/Advanced between them — and you may be prompted to purchase add-ons as you complete your tax preparation. As a result, be sure to use this table as a tool only and not your sole guide in the selection process.

　　

TurboTax 2023/2024 Price Guide
Plan	Starting price	Extra cost per state	Covers
TurboTax	$0-$89	$0-$39 per State	DIY tax filing with TurboTax software
TurboTax Live Assisted	$0-$169	$0-$49 per State	TurboTax software plus on-demand tax expert help
TurboTax Live Full Service	$89	$49 per State	Expert files taxes for you, remotely

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