Taxes are easier to think about when nobody is rushing you. What tax software really costs, who files free, and the official IRS numbers, with the source right beside each one.
Independent research. Every number is checked against the provider's own page and dated. Some links may earn us a commission, which never changes a ranking. How we make money
Each section shows our top pick for it, the number that matters and the date we verified it. Open one to compare everything in it.
What each plan costs for the tax year it applies to, and what a freelancer pays.
Who really files for free, and where the price shows up.
Schedule C income, compared on the all-in price.
The IRS rates for 2026 and 2025, with the document number beside every figure.
The dates that matter for filing, paying and extending.
The IRS's own free options, and what is closed.
A rough estimate of your federal tax, with every assumption shown.
Each pick wins a specific rule, written on its label, and is chosen from the numbers on its own page. Who pays us has no say in it.
Free federal and state filing, including freelance and investment income, if you use a Cash App account. Tax year 2025.
Cash App Taxes: $0 federal, state return included.
Free federal return for every situation, $15.99 per state, with optional paid support. Prices for tax year 2025.
Free federal return, freelance income included; a state return is $15.99.
2 others we list also qualify; this one ranks first in our order.
Free for simple returns, then $65 to $130 federal plus $49 per state, with unlimited expert help on paid plans. Tax year 2025.
Free federal and state for a simple return. Freelance income moves you to a paid plan.
1 other we list also qualify; this one ranks first in our order.
Every price carries the tax year it applies to, and the date we read it on the vendor's own page.
IRS figures are copied from Revenue Procedures and Notices, with the document number and date on the page.
We list what each free plan covers and what the state return costs.
Vendors cannot pay to move up a list. Some links earn us a commission, and it never changes the order.
Before the filing season opens, when nobody is rushing you. The IRS usually opens the filing season in late January, and tax software vendors post new prices around December or January. Looking early means you can check what each option costs for your situation, and gather your documents, before the rush.
Right now, tax year 2025, the returns filed in 2026. That is what the vendors are still showing. We say the tax year next to every price and re-check each product when the new season's prices are posted.
From the IRS itself: Revenue Procedures, Notices and IRS newsroom releases. Each reference page names the document, its number and its date, and links to it.
No. We are an independent research site, not a tax professional. The pages explain the options and the official figures in plain words. For a complicated situation, ask a qualified preparer or check the IRS instructions.
