Reliable free or low-cost tax preparation services

It's a new tax season, which brings with it anxiety and a lot of work. But you can use the best cheap or free software to prepare your taxes in 2024, reports Lifehacker.

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Choosing a reliable return preparation service will help you avoid costly mistakes. But it doesn't come cheap: Preparing a relatively simple federal tax return costs about $251 on average, and those costs can skyrocket as your tax situation gets more complex.

There are many tax preparation options available these days, from surprisingly reliable free options to great tax preparation deals that don't cost much. If your taxes are fairly simple, you may be able to get advice and file your taxes for free. If you're more nuanced, it's worth paying to get a real, step-by-step guide through the tax form jungle.

Filing a tax return is free

Paying taxes is not a pleasant experience in itself, and spending money on filing a return is just salt in the wound. If this is not an option for you, remember that you can always use free fillable IRS forms to pay federal taxes. Those who earn less than $72 are provided free IRS form to pay state taxes.

On the subject: You can write off up to $7430: How the Earned Income Tax Credit Works

Many states have their own tax filing portals where you can file your taxes for free. The main drawback here is the lack of guidance and advice other than the (often unclear) instructions on the forms.

The IRS is currently testing a new program that will allow people to file taxes directly without using any commercial tax preparation software, but it is only available in 12 states this year and is not yet fully launched.

Most large tax preparation companies offer a free tier for relatively simple taxes, although this is not always easy to access or use. For example, H&R Block offers its free online service, and Intuit TurboTax is free. version: Until March 31, 2024, you can subscribe to their level for free Live Assisted which typically costs $89 if your tax situation qualifies. You should check the limitations of these programs; if your tax situation is complex, they may not be suitable for you.

100% Free Tax Preparation Services

application CashApp Taxes, owned by Square, Inc., will allow you to file both federal and state taxes for free, and the service includes free audit protection. This only works if you have a return from one state. If you live and work in different states, you will not be able to use this service. To use the service, you must install the Cash App application. The biggest drawback of the service is the lack of customer support: if you have questions, it will be difficult to find someone who can help you.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). It's not automated software, but if you earned less than $64, you can use VITA IRS to prepare your taxes. The service is staffed by IRS-vetted volunteers. They will help with both federal and state taxes. Recommended use the VITA search tool, to find the location closest to you.

GetYourRefund.org is an online version of VITA that offers return preparation assistance and services for people with incomes under $66.

Although AARP Tax-Aide is run by AARP and is a free tax preparation service. It is available to anyone in their personal office, as well as to anyone earning less than $79.

Paid tax preparation services

All free tax preparation services have different limitations and are best suited for simple tax returns. If your situation is a little more complex or you just want paid experts to help you, there are several beneficial services available.

TaxAct и FreeTaxUSA — both of these platforms offer fairly reliable tax preparation services for almost free. In both cases, preparing federal returns is free, but adding a state return will cost you a negligible amount ($34,99 for TaxAct, $15 for FreeTaxUSA).

Free tiers are good for simple declarations. In paid positions you can get more services. The interface is quite easy to use.

Jackson-Hewitt is an amazing platform. It will allow you to file both federal and state taxes for a flat fee of $25. The platform provides a step-by-step process for preparing your returns, with live chat support if you get stuck. You'll have to fill out a lot of information manually (as opposed to importing PDF forms).

TurboTax is the most well-known tax preparation platform and one of the easiest to use. If the free tiers don't suit your situation, the full service costs $89 plus $49 for additional state tax filing.

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H&R Block is an online service. Not including the free offer, it costs between $35 and $85 plus a $37 state application fee. Additionally, you can download their software for anywhere from $25 to $89 (plus additional fees if your taxes turn out to be more complex than expected). Slightly cheaper than TurboTax and Liberty Tax, but its software and platform may be a little more difficult to use.

Liberty tax is not the cheapest or most comprehensive tax preparation platform, considering that federal and state tax filing prices range from $82,90 to $122,90. But it is cheaper than hiring a specialist to prepare the declaration. Liberty Tax offers a fairly reliable service with a lot of support, including the ability to visit a shopping center and get personal advice.

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