FileYourTaxes.com is a tax filing software with a clunky, confusing interface, no imports, and a confusing price structure.
If that doesn’t convince you to stay away, maybe the rest of the review will. Here’s what you need to know about FileYourTaxes.com in 2020.
Below, we detail the areas of disappointment. See how it compares to tax software on our list of the best tax software.
Quick Summary
- Advanced/expert online tax software
- Limited help resources
- More expensive than average tax software
FileYourTaxes.com - Is it free?
FileYourTaxes.com allows you to “e-file” for free, but charges you for the construction of your return. That means it’s not really free.
Check out our list of the best free tax software if you're looking for a free alternative.
Plans And Pricing
Compared to most companies, FileYourTaxes.com has a very confusing pricing structure. You really need to understand forms and schedules to understand the exact cost of the plan.
Looking back on my prior year return, I found that I used 7 unique Schedules or Forms beyond the included W-2 forms. I suspect that 7 forms is more than the average filer, but expect to add at least 2-3 forms (so $8-$12) if you’re an investor, a side hustler or trying to claim a credit (such as Earned Income Tax Credit).
Federal Base Price | $44.75 |
State Base Price | $36.50 |
Additional Cost for Each Form or Schedule | $4 |
FileYourTaxes Navigation
FileYourTaxes.com has extremely difficult to use navigation. Users need to understand a lot of tax jargon to find relevant portions of the software. Instead of a clean user interface, necessary parts of the software are hidden among cluttered text or within tiny buttons.
Technically, the software includes a guided interview through the software, but the interview allows users to exit, and getting back to the guided software is nearly impossible. If you’re someone who jumps in and out of tax software, FileYourTaxes.com will be very frustrating to use.
Cluttered user interface makes navigation more difficult
FileYourTaxes Ease Of Use
FileYourTaxes.com is hard to use software, especially when the difficulty is compounded by the tough navigation. Users must hand enter almost all information. The only exception is that people who use the accounting software Xero can import their Schedule C on their own.
Unlike many tax software services, FileYourTaxes.com doesn’t leave helpful hints throughout the software. It’s question mark feature doesn’t give you more tax-related information. It just tells you what kind of data you can enter in a given field.
How to fill out information on self-employed health insurance.
FileYourTaxes Knowledge Articles
FileYourTaxes.com does not have any knowledge articles other than the question mark bubbles in the software. Since the software is weighed down by tax jargon, this is a real miss. Users probably need to spend time looking up information on the IRS website to make sure their returns are accurate.
FileYourTaxes.com Extras
FileYourTaxes.com doesn’t offer many extras. You can use the site to file extensions or amended returns, but other major software services offer similar options (and are easy to use).
Can FileYourTaxes.com Help With Your Crypto Investment Taxes?
FileYourTaxes.com does not offer special guidance on filing crypto trades. The service includes the forms and schedules needed to file Bitcoin trades or mining, but I don’t recommend trying to use them.
FileYourTaxes.com Security
FileYourTaxes.com has single factor security, just a username and password combination. I wasn’t able to set up multi-factor authentication, though the site makes me think it is an option.
This was the only tax software option we reviewed that didn't initially ask to setup two-factor authorization.
Who Should Use FileYourTaxes In 2019-2020?
I see no reason to recommend FileYourTaxes.com in 2020. Credit Karma Tax offer better free software for more users. If you have a more complicated filing situation, you may want to consider TaxSlayer Premium, TurboTax (especially for small business owners or crypto traders) or H&R Block.
Overall, we found FileYourTaxes to be overpriced and difficult to use. Unless you're a tax expert, we don't think it's easy to use.
We recommend checking out alternative tax software in 2020. You can check out FileYourTaxes.com for yourself here.
FileYourTaxes Review
- Navigation - 50
- Ease of Use - 40
- Features and Options - 60
- Customer Service - 60
- Plans and Pricing - 40
Overall
Robert Farrington is America’s Millennial Money Expert® and America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him here and here.
He regularly writes about investing, student loan debt, and general personal finance topics geared towards anyone wanting to earn more, get out of debt, and start building wealth for the future.
He has been quoted in major publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Fox, ABC, NBC, and more. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.
Barry says
You r so correct !!!
After 6 hours of trying to navigate the site ,and then hitting an error that kept coming up with no solution suggested , I gave up .
The frustrating part is that I only got to this site because it is one of only 3 suggested on the official IRS page .
John Golden says
Found them on the IRS site, never had heard of them before. The IRS site stated that they were free to file since I’m retired I met the low income guidelines.
After significant time and effort I completed my tax return only to find out at submission that they were charging me to file. The software was very basic and would have much preferred Turbo Tax for ease of use and reliability to find all qualifying deductions. Since it was close to the tax deadline and I already had all my information input, it was blackmail to require fees or not have my taxes done in time. Contacting them is difficult, the only method was by email. I explained my concerns and they accused me of entering the site incorrectly? I found them through the IRS, the method they claim is free. My experience finds this “company” very unrepeatable and suggest using a well known service.