9 Best Tax Software of 2026

FreeTaxUSA gives the most complete free federal return on this list. The vendor lists four levels, Basic, Advanced, Premium and Self-Employed, and each one costs $0 for the federal return, so home ownership, rental income, investments, home sales and freelance income do not push you into a higher price. You pay $15.99 per state return. W-2 and 1099 forms can be uploaded or photographed to fill in your numbers, returning users get their data rolled over, and e-file, a printable return and a tax extension are included at no charge. Support is where the company makes money: basic help by email and the message center is free, Deluxe Support at $7.99 adds live chat and unlimited amended returns, and Pro Support at $44.99 adds calls or chats with a tax pro and a final review. Audit Defense costs $19.99. The interface is plainer than TurboTax, but for most people filing their own return it covers the same ground for far less.

Cash App Taxes is the only program here that charges nothing for both the federal and the state return. Block, Inc. says it has filed more than 12 million returns without a filing fee, and the free coverage reaches 1099 income, side gigs, contract work, small business income and sales of stocks or bitcoin. Returns can be prepared on a phone or a computer, calculations and refunds carry vendor guarantees, and refunds deposited into Cash App can arrive up to 5 days early. The catch is the account: you need to download Cash App and verify a phone number to log in, even if you then finish the return on a computer. The page does not list a paid tax pro review, so people who want a second pair of eyes should look at TurboTax, TaxSlayer Premium or FreeTaxUSA Pro Support. For a confident filer with a Cash App account, it is the cheapest complete option.

TaxSlayer keeps its paid tiers short and cheap. Simply Free covers a federal return and one state for simple tax situations. Classic, at $19.99 for the federal return, includes all forms, credits and deductions, so itemizing, investments or a side business do not require an upgrade, and state is added on top. Premium, at $39.99 plus state, adds live chat, skip-the-line phone and email support and Ask a Tax Pro. New users can upload a prior year return from another provider to get a head start, and eligible W-2 and 1099 forms import to fill in income. Checkpoints along the way and a final review aim to catch missed items, backed by refund and accuracy guarantees. The design is simpler than TurboTax or H&R Block and offers less hand-holding, but the price gap is large for anyone with a complex return.

TurboTax has the most polished guided interview and the widest set of help options. Free Edition covers simple Form 1040 returns at $0 federal and $0 state, which Intuit defines as no schedules except those needed for the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, student loan interest and Schedule 1-A, and says roughly 37% of taxpayers qualify. Itemized deductions, unemployment on a 1099-G and freelance income on a 1099-NEC push you into a paid tier. Do It Yourself Deluxe is $79 federal with state additional and searches more than 350 deductions and credits, with extra guidance for homeowners. Documents can be photographed, uploaded or imported from employers and financial institutions, and CompleteCheck scans the return before you file. If you get stuck, Expert Assist adds on-demand expert help and Expert Full Service hands the whole return to an expert. You pay noticeably more than with FreeTaxUSA or TaxSlayer for similar forms.

H&R Block Online is the closest rival to TurboTax for guided filing, backed by a chain of tax offices. Its Free Online tier covers simple federal and state returns at no charge, though H&R Block says it does not cover self-employment income such as a Schedule C. Paid online tiers step up through Deluxe, Premium for investors and Self-Employed for rideshare drivers, marketplace sellers and others claiming business expenses. A Tax Pro Review can be added so a professional checks your finished do-it-yourself return, and the company's office network gives you an in-person fallback that most online rivals lack. H&R Block's pages blocked our requests from this location, so we could not confirm current federal and state prices and have marked them as pending rather than estimated. Expect paid tiers to cost more than FreeTaxUSA, TaxSlayer or Cash App Taxes. It suits people who value a familiar brand and a human review.

Jackson Hewitt Online sells one of the simplest deals in tax software: $25 flat to file federal and state returns, whatever your situation. The company says that price applies to hourly and salaried workers, gig workers with 1099 income, families claiming child credits, students with a Form 1098-T and people filing in more than one state, which makes it unusually cheap for multi-state households. You create an account for free and pay only when you file. W-2s and employer details can be downloaded, error checks run automatically and live chat support is free. Jackson Hewitt guarantees the biggest refund, reimbursing prep fees if you get more elsewhere, and pays IRS interest and penalties caused by its own mistakes. There is no free tier, so simple filers will pay less with TurboTax Free Edition or Cash App Taxes, and the interface offers less guidance than the bigger brands.

TaxAct sits between the premium brands and the budget programs. Its online lineup runs from a Free tier for simple federal returns through Deluxe, Premier for investors and Self-Employed for freelancers and small business owners, and the company also sells downloadable desktop software. Xpert Assist adds live access to tax experts and is available on the consumer 1040 products, including the Free tier, so you can get help without moving to a higher edition. TaxAct also runs a free federal and state filing offer for active duty military. The interview is clear but less polished than TurboTax or H&R Block. TaxAct's pages blocked our requests from this location, so we could not confirm current prices and have marked them as pending rather than estimated. Its own pages show paid federal tiers well above TaxSlayer Classic, with state priced separately, so compare totals before you commit.

1040.com, part of Taxwell, charges one flat $34.99 for federal and state returns and says every feature is included for everyone, regardless of income or how it is earned. All forms and filing statuses are supported, along with most income sources, credits and deductions. You can log in, work through the whole return and preview the completed result at no charge, paying only when you are ready to submit. Email and chat support come with the price. Two extras are optional: paying from your refund through E-collect adds $29.95, and Audit Assistance from Protection Plus costs $34.95. The flat price beats TurboTax and TaxAct paid tiers for a complex return with state, but it costs more than Jackson Hewitt Online's $25 and more than FreeTaxUSA for a single state. There is no free tier for simple returns and no listed option for a tax pro review, so it suits confident filers who like predictable pricing.

ezTaxReturn is a straightforward online preparer with plain pricing. If your return qualifies as simple, the federal return is free. Otherwise the federal return costs $44.99, a state return costs $45.99, and both together are $90.98. The company says most people can e-file in as little as 30 minutes, and automated reviews check for mistakes before submission, backed by accuracy and maximum refund guarantees. Free 7-day support comes from a US-based team through callback or email, which is more personal than the email-only help at some budget rivals. Optional extras include audit defense at $42.99, amended return insurance at $12.99 and a $39.95 refund transfer. The state fee is high next to FreeTaxUSA at $15.99, and flat-fee services such as Jackson Hewitt Online and 1040.com include state for less, so ezTaxReturn makes most sense for simple federal-only filers.