TaxActvs
QuickBooks
QuickBooks: Smart, simple online accounting software for small business
TaxAct
Get your maximum refund, guaranteed
As of 31 August 2026, TaxAct has a free plan and paid plans start at $59.99/tax-year. Online tax filing software with a free tier for simple W-2 returns and paid Deluxe, Premier and Self-Employed tiers. Softwr lists it under Accounting.
Overview
What TaxAct does
Online tax filing software with a free tier for simple W-2 returns and paid Deluxe, Premier and Self-Employed tiers.
What people use it for
- Individual tax filing
- Self-employed tax preparation
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about TaxAct.
- Free edition available only to approximately 40% of filers
- Pricing excludes separate state filing fees
- Xpert Full Service pricing available on request only
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of TaxAct
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
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- TaxActvsMelio
Melio: Simple business payments
Pricing
What TaxAct costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Free Edition
Free
- W-2 income
- Unemployment
- Basic credits and deductions
- Student status
- For approximately 40% of filers
Deluxe
$59.99 /tax-year
- All Free Edition features
- Home ownership deductions
- Childcare and dependent care
- HSA and medical expense support
Premier
$99.99 /tax-year
- All Deluxe features
- Investment income and capital gains
- Cryptocurrency reporting
- Rental property income
- Home sale reporting
Self-Employed
$109.99 /tax-year
- Complete business support
- For contractors, freelancers, and sole proprietors
Xpert Assist
$45 /tax-year
- Unlimited expert help and consultation
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
How much does TaxAct cost?
TaxAct offers a free edition for approximately 40% of filers, Deluxe at $59.99, Premier at $99.99, and Self-Employed at $109.99 per tax year.
SourceIs TaxAct truly free for eligible filers?
Yes, TaxAct's Free Edition is available at no cost for W-2 employees, students, and filers meeting basic income and deduction requirements.
SourceWhat is the difference between Premier and Deluxe plans?
Premier adds support for investment income, capital gains, cryptocurrency, rental properties, and home sale reporting compared to Deluxe.
SourceKeep looking
Where to go from TaxAct
- TaxAct alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- TaxAct pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- TaxAct badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Accounting softwareThe full category
- Best Accounting softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Accounting software for
Compare TaxAct with
- QuickBooks
- Melio
- Ramp
- Airbase
- Dinero
- Hnry
- Zoho Expense
- Fakturoid
- Invoicely
- sevdesk
- TurboTax
- SAP Concur
- Zuora
- Airwallex
- Bench
- Billin
- Zoho Books
- Zoho Expense
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Free, then $3/mo11 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for TaxAct, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on TaxAct
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