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Home » Taxes » Best Tax Software » Tax Software Companies » OLT.com Review 2023

OLT.com Review 2023

Updated: December 10, 2022 By Eric Rosenberg

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olt.com review 2023

OLT.com is a budget-priced tax software with an all-in price tag of around $10 to $16 for most tax filers. Short for OnLine Taxes, OLT isn’t the most robust tax software on the market, but does a good job of balancing needed features with a very low price tag.

For 2023, OLT.com brings a new tax estimator and updates to help you prepare and submit an accurate tax return to the IRS, including improvements to the navigation and user interface.

With OLT.com, you mostly get what you pay for with not a lot of ability for things like imports or uploads of tax forms and data. But if you want low-cost tax software with robust reliable filing tools and a reasonably good user experience, it could be right for you.

Here’s what you need to know about OLT.com when shopping around for the best tax software for your unique needs.

See how OLT.com also compares to our top tax filing software options.


OLT.com Review

Quick Summary

  • User interface improvements and updates for 2023 tax filing season
  • Pricing is one of the lowest with all tax situations included
  • Premium upgrade required for live chat and phone support
START HERE

OLT.com Details

Product Name

OLT.com

Federal Price

Starts at $0

State Price

Starts at $9.95 per state

Preparation Type

Self-Prepared

Promotions

None

Table of Contents
OLT.com Is It Free?
What's New In 2023?
Does OLT.com Make Tax Filing Easy In 2023?
OLT.com Features
OLT.com Notable Drawbacks
OLT.com Plans And Pricing
How Does OLT.com Compare To Other Tax Software?
Is OLT.com Safe And Secure?
How Can I Get Support From OLT.com?
Is It Worth It?
OLT.com FAQs
OLT.com Features

OLT.com Is It Free?

OLT.com offers free federal tax filing for all users, including those with complex tax situations. Filers pay $9.95 for each state return. Those in the few states with no required state tax return can use OLT.com for free. 

For most users, we recommend upgrading to the Premium Edition for $7.95, which includes live customer support, audit support, and a $2 discount on each state return.

Most users will pay $9.95 per year for the Free Edition for a single-state return or $15.90 for Premium plus one state.

olt.com review: free federal return

What's New In 2023?

For 2023, OLT.com includes moderate updates over its larger update last year. For last year’s tax season, the software saw a larger upgrade and revamped the look and feel of its product. 

This year, changes are more focused on updates to the tax code from the IRS, including:

  • New tax brackets
  • Limits for credits and deductions
  • Other updates related to COVID-19 legislation and inflation

It remains solidly in the budget category with a much lower cost, but also doesn’t have as flashy a user interface as its top-tier competitors either.

Screenshot of OLT.com's new depreciation calculator

New Depreciation Calculator

Does OLT.com Make Tax Filing Easy In 2023?

OLT.com makes filing easy for many filers in 2023. It’s best for those with fewer tax forms and those without active investing accounts, as you can’t upload or import PDF tax forms or spreadsheets with your investment data. You will have to manually type in all those W-9, 1099, and other tax forms by hand.

However, the software includes multiple checkpoints where users can verify whether they’ve entered the information correctly. Because self-employed people and landlords can easily navigate to anything they need, it’s a particularly good deal for their taxes.

Active stock and cryptocurrency traders may want to steer away from OLT.com. Manually entering all trades one trade at a time can be extremely cumbersome and prone to typos and manual errors.

OLT.com Features

With the recent software upgrades, OLT.com has several features that help it stand out from other bargain software.

Simple User Experience

The OLT.com software upgraded its user experience to make tax filing much easier. The company has menu-driven navigation where you choose each section you want to enter.

Filers can review each sub-section before moving forward, helping users detect errors before changing their attention to something else. The software also has robust, built-in calculators. These help filers claim the correct depreciation and depletion expenses.

Screenshot showing one of OLT.com's simple menus

Example of a simple menu inside the OLT.com software

Section Summaries

Users can easily track filing progress and review financial outcomes with section summaries. The summaries show each section's income, deduction, or credit activity. OLT.com displays detailed sub-section summaries, so users can catch mistakes as they work through their return.

Screenshot of OLT.com's section summaries

Affordable Live Customer Support

The Premium Edition upgrade costs less than $10 and gives you access to live chat and phone customer support, as well as audit support should you need it in the future. Some competitors charge much, much more for access to a human for help.

With the free version of OLT.com, you can ask questions via email, with a delay before you’ll see a response.

OLT.com Drawbacks

These are a few ways that OLT.com still isn’t a perfect product. These are some of the drawbacks.

No Options To Import Forms

OLT.com doesn’t allow users to import W-2 or 1099 forms. That means that filers must enter all this information by hand. Some filers won’t mind this extra step, but those with many bank accounts or active investment accounts may want to choose a more expensive and sophisticated software.

Some Screens Overly Cluttered

While OLT.com made notable strides in its user experience, some of the screens remain cluttered and come with a design that still feels a bit dated. There’s a lot of information on some screens, making it easy to miss something important.

OLT.com Plans And Pricing

OLT.com has maintained its pricing structure from last year. The free federal tier includes all major forms for filing, but it only includes email-based support. 

The Premium edition includes live chat, technical support, and audit assistance. If you start with OLT.com, amended returns are available at no additional charge.

Plan

Free Edition

Premium Edition

Best For

All forms (includes email support)

Audit assistance, live chat technical support

Federal Cost

$0

$7.95

State Cost

$9.95 per state

$7.95 per state

Total Cost

$9.95

$15.90

START HERE
START HERE

How Does OLT.com Compare To Other Tax Software?

OLT.com comes with a low cost, so our comparisons focus on other software with similar pricing structures. 

In 2023, we’re comparing OLT.com to FreeTaxUSA, Cash App Taxes, and TaxSlayer. OLT.com rivals the user experience at FreeTaxUSA and offers slightly lower prices. 

Cash App Taxes has a somewhat better product, and the price is free, but it doesn’t support multi-state filing and lacks support for a few other important scenarios for some filers. 

TaxSlayer is the most expensive product in the bargain category, but it offers the most functionality.

Header
OLT.com Comparison
OLT.com Comparison: FreeTaxUSA
OLT.com Comparison: CashApp Taxes
OLT.com Comparison: TaxSlayer

Rating

Stimulus Check

Free

Free

Free

Free

Unemployment Income

Free

Free

Free

Free

Student Loan Interest

Free

Free

Free

Free

Import Last Year's Taxes

Only From OLT.com

Free

Free

Free

Import/Picture

of W2

Not Available

Not Available

Not Available

Not Available

Multiple States

$9.95 per state

$14.99 per state

Not Supported

First State is Free. $36.95 Per Additional State

Multiple W2s

Free

Free

Free

Free

Earned Income Tax Credit

Free

Free

Free

Free

Child Tax Credit

Free

Free

Free

Classic

HSAs

Free

Free

Free

Classic

Retirement Contributions

Free

Free

Free

Free

Retirement Income (SS, Pension, etc.)

Free

Free

Free

Free

Interest Income

Free

Free

Free

Classic

Itemize Deductions

Free

Free

Free

Classic

Dividend Income

Free

Free

Free

Classic

Capital Gains Income

Free

Free

Free

Classic

Rental Income

Free

Free

Free

Classic

Self-Employment Income

Free

Free

Free

Classic

Audit Support

Premium

Deluxe

Free

Premium

Support From Tax Pros

Not Available

Pro Support

Not Available

Premium

Small Business Owner (over $5k in expenses)

Free

Free

Free

Classic

First Tier Price

Free

$0 Fed &
$9.95/State

Free

$0 Fed &
$14.99/State

Free

$0 Fed &
 $0 State

Free

$0 Fed &
$0 State

Second Tier Price

Premium

$7.95 Fed & $7.95/State

Deluxe

$6.99 Fed & $14.99/State

N/A

Classic

$17.95 Fed & $36.95/State

Third Tier Price

N/A

Pro Support

$24.99 Fed & $14.99/State

N/A

Premium

$37.95 Fed & $36.95/State

Fourth Tier Price

N/A

N/A

N/A

Self-Employed

$47.95 Fed & $36.95 State

Cell
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Is OLT.com Safe And Secure?

OLT.com requires users to enable multiple forms of authentication. The multi-factor authentication requirement protects users in the event of a password breach. The company also protects and encrypts personally identifiable information and credit card numbers.

The company also meets third-party standards for data privacy and consumer data protection. Despite the credentials, no website can 100% guarantee the safety of information shared online. Follow password and cybersecurity best practices to keep bad guys out of your account.

How Can I Get Support From OLT.com?

With the Free Edition, your support options with OLT.com are limited to email support and self-help by using the website's Knowledge Base and FAQs. If you upgrade to Premium, you’ll get audit assistance and live chat and phone tech support.

The audit assistance looks like a good value at first. However, Cash App Taxes offers a similar guarantee for free. And unlike other bargain software companies, like TaxHawk, OLT.com does not have an upgrade option that provides access to tax pros.

Is It Worth It?

Thanks to OLT.com’s thoughtful user experience enhancements, the software is one to consider for people who want an inexpensive option. Cash App Taxes is a better choice for many qualifying users, but multi-state filers and people with K-1 forms can’t use that platform.

These filers may want to consider OLT.com as a low-cost alternative. In many cases, OLT.com will have the lowest price for filers who must file in multiple states.

OLT.com offers a great product, but it isn’t perfect. Active traders can opt for an alternative like H&R Block or TurboTax. No matter what you’re seeking, we have recommendations for software based on your filing situation.

OLT.com FAQs

Here are the answers to a few of the questions that filers frequently ask about online tax software like OLT.com.

Can OLT.com help me file my crypto investments?

OLT.com supports crypto filing, but it doesn’t do much to make the filing process easy. Users cannot import IRS Form 8949, so they are left manually entering each transaction. Most crypto traders would be better off using a service like TurboTax Premier to file their returns.

Can OLT.com help me with state filing in multiple states?

Yes, OLT.com supports multi-state filing. On the Free tier, filers pay $9.95 per state. On the paid tier, the price per state drops to $7.95 per state.

Does OLT.com offer refund advance loans?

No, OLT.com isn't offering refund advance loans in 2023.

OLT.com Features

Federal Cost

Starts at $0

State Cost

Starts at $9.95 per state

Premium Edition

$15.90

Pay With Tax Refund

Yes, $29.95 extra cost

Audit Support

Yes, with Premium Edition purchase

Support From Tax Pros

Not available

Full Service Tax Filing

Not available

Printable Tax Return

Yes

Import Tax Return From Other Providers

No

Import Prior-Year Return For Returning Customers

Yes

Import W-2 With A Picture

No

Stock Brokerage Integrations

None

Crypto Exchange Integrations

None

Self-Employment Income

Yes

Itemize Deductions

Yes

Deduct Charitable Donations

Yes

Refund Anticipation Loans

Not offered

Customer Service Options

E-mail, Live Chat, Phone, Knowledge Base, FAQ's (Live Chat and phone support required Premium Edition purchase)

Web/Desktop Software

Yes

Mobile Apps

No

Promotions

None

OLT.com Review
  • Navigation
  • Ease Of Use
  • Features and Options
  • Customer Service
  • Plans and Pricing
Overall
3.9

Summary

OLT.com has made significant usability improvements in 2023 while continuing to offer some of the lowest prices.

Pros

  • Cost-effective product
  • Simple menu navigation
  • Well-designed calculators

Cons

  • Some screens are still overly cluttered
  • Can’t import any forms (including W-2)
  • Try OLT.com
Eric Rosenberg
Eric Rosenberg

Eric Rosenberg is a financial writer, speaker, and consultant based in Ventura, California. He holds an undergraduate finance degree from the University of Colorado and an MBA in finance from the University of Denver. After working as a bank manager and then nearly a decade in corporate finance and accounting, Eric left the corporate world for full-time online self-employment.

His work has been featured in online publications including Business Insider, Nerdwallet, Investopedia, The Balance, Huffington Post, and other financial publications. When away from the computer, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, traveling the world, and tinkering with technology. Connect with him and learn more at EricRosenberg.com.

OLT.com Review 2023

Editor: Claire Tak Reviewed by: Robert Farrington

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, or other advertiser and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comment Policy: We invite readers to respond with questions or comments. Comments may be held for moderation and are subject to approval. Comments are solely the opinions of their authors'. The responses in the comments below are not provided or commissioned by any advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any company. It is not anyone's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
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