TaxAct

Four online plans from free to $109.99 federal, with the state return extra on every plan. Prices for tax year 2025.

Prices checked October 14, 2026

Tax Software Free Tax Software Tax Software for the Self-Employed

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The Bottom Line

Figures read Oct 14, 2026

Federal filing: Free plan available, paid plans from $59.99 (tax year 2025 prices) (verified Oct 14, 2026). All rates and fees

Key facts

Federal from: $0
Free federal: Yes
Self-employed: From $109.99
Prices for: Tax year 2025

Pros

A free federal plan for simple returns, with clearly named plans above it for homes, investments and self-employment
Xpert Assist ($45) gives you access to credentialed tax experts while you file
Has a mobile app with photo upload of forms, plus W-2 and 1099 import
Two written guarantees (Maximum Refund and a $100,000 Accuracy Guarantee) with their limits spelled out

Cons

State returns cost $54.99 to $64.99 each, even on the free plan
The self-employed plan is $109.99 federal plus $64.99 per state, and every price is a "starting at" price
Some of its own pricing pages show stale or inconsistent figures, so confirm the price at checkout
The fee to pay from your refund is set by a bank and not published on TaxAct's consumer pages

At a glance

Prices checked October 14, 2026

Price basis: Tax year 2025 prices, for returns filed in 2026
Free federal return: Yes: Simple returns on a bare Form 1040: W-2 pay, unemployment or retirement income, the standard deduction, dependents, student loan interest and the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits. Any side income, investment income, rental income, itemizing, an HSA or childcare costs needs a paid plan.
Paid federal, from: $59.99
State returns: $54.99 per state with Free Federal, $64.99 per state on the paid plans. A state return is never included in the federal price.
Self-employed: Self-Employed (Entrepreneur), $109.99 federal
Live expert help: Xpert Assist from $45; Xpert Full Service from $99
Audit support: Audit Defense add-on, from $54.99. It covers federal and state audits for the covered return for three years after you file. It is not insurance, it must be added before you get an audit notice, and some forms and credits are excluded.
Guarantee: Maximum Refund Guarantee: if another online product gives a bigger refund from the same facts, TaxAct refunds the software price (other fees excluded). $100K Accuracy Guarantee: covers penalties and interest from a software error on a self-prepared, e-filed return, capped at $100,000.
Refund options: Direct deposit is free. Paying TaxAct from your refund (Refund Transfer) goes through Republic Bank, which charges its own fee; TaxAct does not publish that amount on its consumer pages, and your refund must exceed the fees by at least $50. TaxAct's 0% Refund Advance loans ended for 2026.
Mobile app: Yes. The TaxAct Mobile app for iPhone and Android: enter details, photograph forms and see a refund estimate.
Imports: W-2 and 1099 import, phone camera upload of forms, and a PDF of last year's return from another provider to fill in your details.
Forms supported: Depends on the plan. Free Federal is Form 1040 only, with no schedules. Deluxe adds itemizing, HSA and dependent care. Premier adds capital gains, rental (Schedule E) and FBAR. Self-Employed adds Schedule C.
IRS Free File: Yes. The IRS lists TaxAct as a Free File partner: free federal if your adjusted gross income is $89,000 or less and you are 20 to 60 (or on active military duty), free state only in some states, reached from irs.gov/freefile.

Sources: taxact.com/taxes-online/file-your-own-taxes, taxact.com/taxes-online/file-your-own-taxes/fre…, read October 14, 2026

TaxAct prices by plan

Tax year 2025 prices, for returns filed in 2026 · checked October 14, 2026

Free Federal
People with a simple return: a job, maybe unemployment or retirement income, and the standard deduction.
Covers: A bare Form 1040 with no attached forms or schedules: W-2, unemployment and retirement income, dependents, student loan interest, Earned Income and Child Tax Credits. Not covered: investments (even interest or dividends), crypto, rental income, itemizing, an HSA, childcare costs, freelance income.
TaxAct says about 40% of its filers qualified last year.
Federal
Free
Each state
$54.99
$54.99 per state, not free
Deluxe (Home and Family)
Homeowners, parents with childcare costs and people with a health savings account.
Covers: Everything in Free Federal, plus itemized deductions, owning a home, child and dependent care and a health savings account (HSA).
"Starting at" price. The final price is set when you pay, print or e-file.
Federal
$59.99
Each state
$64.99
Premier (Investments)
People who sell stocks or crypto, sell a home, have rental income or need foreign bank account reporting (FBAR).
Covers: Everything in Deluxe, plus stock and crypto sales, selling a home, rental income and foreign bank account (FBAR) filing.
"Starting at" price. The final price is set when you pay, print or e-file.
Federal
$99.99
Each state
$64.99
Self-Employed (Entrepreneur)
Freelancers, contractors, gig workers and sole proprietors.
Covers: Everything in Premier, plus freelance, contract and gig income and the full business income and expenses on Schedule C. Partnership and S corporation returns are separate business products.
"Starting at" price. The final price is set when you pay, print or e-file.
Federal
$109.99
Each state
$64.99

“Federal” is your return to the IRS. “State” is a separate return to your state, priced per state. Vendors often show a “starting at” price and set the final one when you file, based on the forms your return needs.

What would you pay at TaxAct?

Employee with a W-2

$54.99

Free Federal: Free federal + $54.99 for one state

One job, standard deduction, no side income or investments, one state.

Freelancer or side income

$174.98

Self-Employed (Entrepreneur): $109.99 federal + $64.99 for one state

Self-employment income reported on Schedule C, one state.

Federal plus one state return at the cheapest plan that covers the situation, using the prices above (tax year 2025 prices, for returns filed in 2026). Optional extras (expert help, audit protection, refund-transfer fees) are not included.

Good to know before you file

Free Federal only covers a bare Form 1040. Side income, investments (even interest or dividends), crypto, rental income, itemizing, an HSA or childcare costs move you to a paid plan.
The state return costs extra on every plan: $54.99 per state with Free Federal and $64.99 on the paid plans. The vendor's homepage shows only "+ State Additional"; the per-state price appears on each plan page.
All federal prices are "starting at". TaxAct says the actual price is set when you pay, print or e-file, and can change without notice.
Some pages on TaxAct's own site still carry old spring wording (a "$55 flat" banner, "About 44% qualify"), and the Xpert Assist price shows as $45, $54 and $60 in different places. We used $45, which the plan pages and bundle totals use. Confirm the price at checkout.
Paying TaxAct out of your refund goes through a bank that charges its own fee, and TaxAct does not publish the amount on its consumer pages.
Audit Defense is not insurance and has to be added before an audit notice arrives. Xpert Assist is advice only: it does not prepare your return or help with IRS notices.

What is TaxAct?

Sources read on the date shown

TaxAct is an online tax filing service with four do-it-yourself plans that step up with how complicated your year was: Free Federal, Deluxe, Premier and Self-Employed. Free Federal covers only a bare Form 1040 with no extra forms, such as W-2 pay, unemployment or retirement income and the standard deduction. Deluxe adds things like owning a home, childcare costs and a health savings account. Premier adds stock and crypto sales, rental income and foreign bank account reporting. Self-Employed adds freelance and business income. The state return is separate on every plan, including the free one. The prices on this page are the ones TaxAct posted for tax year 2025, the returns filed in 2026, and we read them on its own site on October 14, 2026. TaxAct posts the next season's prices around December or January, and we will re-check then. Its federal prices are "starting at" prices: the vendor says the final price is set when you pay, print or e-file. You can add Xpert Assist for $45, which gives you access to credentialed tax experts while you do the return yourself. A done-for-you service starts at $99 plus $69 for all states, but showed as at full capacity when we checked.

LCLouis CorneloupFigures read Oct 14, 2026 · how we evaluate

Sourcetaxact.com ↗

Key details

Free Federal plan for simple returns, Deluxe, Premier and Self-Employed plansState returns $54.99 or $64.99 eachXpert Assist add-on $45 for access to credentialed tax expertsAudit Defense add-on from $54.99Mobile app with photo upload of formsW-2 and 1099 importIRS Free File partner

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H&R Block

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TurboTax

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TaxAct FAQ

How much does TaxAct cost?

For tax year 2025, TaxAct posts $0 federal on Free Federal, $59.99 on Deluxe, $99.99 on Premier and $109.99 on Self-Employed. A state return is extra: $54.99 per state with Free Federal and $64.99 on the paid plans. These are "starting at" prices read on the vendor's site on October 14, 2026.

Is TaxAct free?

The federal return is free only for simple returns on a bare Form 1040, with no extra forms or schedules. A state return still costs $54.99. Side income, investments, rental income, itemizing, an HSA or childcare costs need a paid plan.

How much does TaxAct cost for a freelancer?

The Self-Employed plan is $109.99 for the federal return and $64.99 per state, so federal plus one state is $174.98 at the tax year 2025 prices. Add-ons such as Xpert Assist ($45) and Audit Defense (from $54.99) cost extra.

What is Xpert Assist?

An add-on, shown at $45, that gives you chat or phone access to credentialed tax experts while you prepare the return yourself. It is advice, not preparation, and it does not cover IRS notices or audits.

Is TaxAct part of IRS Free File?

Yes. The IRS lists TaxAct as a Free File partner. You qualify for the free federal return if your adjusted gross income is $89,000 or less and you are 20 to 60 (or on active military duty). State returns are free only in some states. You must start from irs.gov/freefile, not from taxact.com.

Source: taxact.com