Online Tax Preparation & Filing Services

TURBOTAX REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Top

TurboTax is powered by Intuit, the software company that produces other popular personal financial management tools such as Quicken. Their online tax preparation and filing system is extremely easy to use and has the most robust automated deduction tools of any of the providers we reviewed. They also offer excellent support tools on their website and the ability to contact customer support representatives by phone, web based chat or email (although these customer support representatives are not tax professionals). TurboTax Federal Free Edition offers free preparation and e-file of some federal returns, but only for those consumers who will be filing simple 1040EZ returns. Those consumers with significant deductions will likely require an upgrade to TurboTax's Deluxe package which costs $49.95 for Federal returns and $39.95 for state returns. We highly recommend TurboTax even though their pricing is slightly higher than H&R Block. TurboTax is perfect for consumers who don't need a lot of guidance and are comfortable using a robust online tool to prepare and file their taxes.

H&R BLOCK REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Top

You probably recognize the H&R Block name and their green block logo from the thousands of offline locations they maintain during tax season. They also have a very robust online tax preparation and filing service that offers many unique benefits. H&R Block is the only tax prep service that we reviewed which offers a direct consultation with a certified tax professional. Consumers receive a single consultation with the purchase of H&R Block's Premium package and additional consultations can be purchased for a fee. H&R block also offers unmatched audit protection. Their 'Worry Free Audit Support' guarantees assistance from an H&R Block tax professional in the case of a federal or state audit of your tax return. Given their superior customer support options and access to unrivaled information and protection, we strongly recommend H&R Block for all consumers. In particular, those that have more complex deductions or intricate questions regarding their taxes will benefit from H&R Block's industry leading tax preparation and filing support.

TAXACT REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Top

TaxAct is the cheapest way to file your federal or state tax returns. In fact, if you only need to file a federal tax return, TaxAct will prepare and e-file it for free. We highly recommend them for any consumer who is looking for a simple and economical way to prepare and e-file taxes.

COMPLETETAX REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Top

While CompleteTax is a decent overall service, they are fairly undifferentiated compared to other tax preparation and filing service providers we have reviewed. Their support is not as good at H&R Block and their tools are not as easy to use as TurboTax. They are a reputable provider and we invite you to visit their site to learn if they meet your specific needs. However, we would not recommend them over most of the other providers we have reviewed.

E-FILE REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Top

E-File Tax Returns may be adequate for some consumers' needs, but overall offers a bare minimum of tax preparation assistance. The website contains factual discrepancies and does not appear to be well-maintained. State returns are provided for only 22 states. There is no free support offered; consultations with tax professionals are available for $24.88 per question. While audit protection is supposedly available for an additional fee of $29.88, this only includes checking your federal return for discrepancies that could potentially trigger an audit, and does not include support in the event that you are actually audited. E-File Tax Returns is the cheapest option for consumers who are e-filing a federal return only, and who will not require assistance or advice. Aside from the low cost to e-file a federal return, there is little to recommend this service over the others we have reviewed.

TAXSIMPLE REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Top

We do not recommend TaxSimple due to their limited email only support and non-competitive pricing plan. We also found their service to be spotty as far as availability and page load times.