I've been filing my taxes with TaxAct for years, and it makes filing taxes just about bearable
- I've been using tax filing software TaxAct for a few years now to file my taxes online, and I've found it to be straightforward and easy.
- TaxAct is especially useful for people who have slightly more complicated tax situations — I use it to file both my freelance income and my wife's W-2 income.
- Tax Day 2019 is April 15th.
For the past several years, I've used TaxAct to file my family's taxes as I bounced between full-time freelance, being a partner in a business, and handling my wife's W-2 income.
A bonus just for you: Click here to claim 30 days of access to Business Insider PRIME
In the past, I've used the free version of other software — as well as an accountant when I had business filings — but when I needed more than the free software could give for my personal taxes, I was attracted to TaxAct a few years ago with the promise of a slightly cheaper price and better tools for self-employed users. Being a freelancer for most my of life has put me in the habit of doing my own taxes.
Below, I've walked through the free version of TaxAct, including some of my favorite features. Now that I pay for a higher tier, I can tell you that the free version (which also offers free state filing) and the paid versions are similar, although the paid versions have a few more questions based on those with more complicated needs.
Here's what it's like to file your taxes using TaxAct:
To get started, go to TaxAct.com and select the best version for your situation. You can just start with the free version, or use its guides to help figure out the best fit for your needs.
If you're a returning user, you can import most of your basic information from last year's return with a click, which gives TaxAct a baseline to compare your returns and saves considerable time.
One neat thing about TaxAct is the running tally you get in the right-hand corner as you add deductions and credits. It slightly “gamifies” the drudgery of filling out taxes. If you like shiny things, as I do, this is a benefit.
Even if you haven't used TaxAct, you can still save time by importing a PDF of your previous year's return.
See the rest of the story at INSIDER