Tax season is pretty much nobody’s idea of fun.
Fortunately, there’s a wide range of digital DIY tax filing services available to help you get your paperwork right and file your taxes online without spending your entire refund on an accountant.
In this TurboTax review, we’re covering everything you need to know about its online filing services and tax software and how it stacks up to its competitors.
TurboTax: How Does It Work?
Perhaps the best-known of the digital filing options, TurboTax is the tax-focused baby of Intuit, the same company behind Mint and QuickBooks.
As such, it’s not surprising that TurboTax has a dazzling array of financial tools to help you during tax time as well as year round, regardless of your tax situation.
TurboTax offers both totally DIY filing options as well as an upgraded suite of DIY filing with live online help and a full service option to let the pros file for you. You can also purchase its tax preparation software on CD or by download, which can help you save even more money. You pay a one-time fee and get up to five included federal filings for the tax year, though you’ll likely still need to pay to file your state tax return.
Here’s what the pricing tiers look like at TurboTax. (These prices are current as of February 2022 and are subject to change.)
Free Edition
The TurboTax Free Edition is appropriate for filers with simple tax returns. It covers W-2 income, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and child tax credits. True to its name, it’s free to file federal and state returns — but few peoples’ taxes are truly basic, and this tier doesn’t cover as many filers as competitors’ free options.
Cost: $0
Deluxe
The TurboTax Deluxe edition includes everything the Free Edition does, plus mortgage and property tax deductions, charitable donations, student loan interest, education expenses and 1099-MISC income — i.e. earnings of an independent contractor like a freelance writer or Uber driver.
If freelance work is your sole source of income, you’ll be better off using the TurboTax Self-Employed edition, which is described below.
Cost: $39 for federal filing, plus $39 per state
Premier
TurboTax Premier includes everything you get in Deluxe, as well as coverage for tax deductions and credits for things like stock market and cryptocurrency investments, rental property income and refinancing deductions. It also has a feature that lets you auto-import your investment income reports.
Cost: $69 for federal filing, plus $39 per state
Self-Employed
TurboTax Self-Employed helps you prepare tax returns with personal and business income, so it’s a fit for freelancers, independent contractors and small business owners.
This edition includes a host of features specifically designed for freelancers, such as:
- Help finding deductions specific to your line of work.
- The ability to import 1099-MISC forms with a quick photo.
- Free access to QuickBooks Self Employed.
- Access to a year-round tax estimator after filing.
Cost: $89 for federal filing, plus $39 per state
Features
No matter which tier works best for you — and there’s an easy, clickable questionnaire that helps TurboTax recommend a product based on your tax situation — all TurboTax customers get access to a wide range of tools, guarantees and features.
Audit Support Guarantee
TurboTax guarantees the accuracy of your taxes and stands behind that promise with its Audit Support Guarantee, which grants you free access to the Audit Support Center.
If you’re audited by the IRS, you can access the support center to get free, live, one-on-one guidance with a tax professional, as well as year-round answers to your questions and assistance on what to expect and how to prepare. This service is not, however, a replacement for legal advice.
Money-Back Maximum Refund Guarantee
TurboTax guarantees you’ll get the biggest refund possible. If you tally up a larger refund (or similar tax liability) with another tax preparation service, TurboTax will refund your service fee (or pay you $30 if you used the Free edition).
Mobile Apps for Apple and Android
TurboTax lets you file from your smartphone or tablet with popular and highly rated apps for both Android and iOS. You can use the app to track charitable donations and deductible expenses throughout the year.
Refund Advance
If you need your money post-haste, TurboTax offers a refund advance of up to $4,000 of your expected federal tax refund with 0% interest and $0 loan fees. To be eligible, your expected refund must be at least $500.
If you’re eligible, you’ll get the funds within as little as one hour of the IRS accepting your tax return, deposited into a Credit Karma Money checking account, which is free to open. You’ll get the virtual debit card info, so you can spend online right away, and the physical card should come in the mail in seven to 14 business days.
Once the IRS processes your federal return, your remaining refund amount will be deposited into the same account. You don’t have the option to receive the rest of your refund in another form (e.g. direct deposited into your savings account).
Pay-With-My-Refund Options
TurboTax lets you pay your product and filing fees with your federal tax refund, meaning you never see an out-of-pocket cost for the service. There is, however, an additional fee for this option; you’ll pay $39, though this price is subject to change.
Fees
To prepare and file your tax returns through TurboTax, you’ll pay a fee for the filing program or software, plus additional fees to file your state return. Here’s how that looks:
- DIY online filing: Free to $89, depending on tier.
- State filing fees: Additional $0 for free filing, $39 per state for paid DIY tiers, $49 per state for paid Live tiers.
- TurboTax Live: Free to $169, depending on tier; free to $259 for Full Service.
If you owe taxes after you file, you can pay through TurboTax’s payment processor via credit card or debit card for a convenience fee.
TurboTax also helps you pay via direct debit from your bank account for free. This is an option not all competitors offer; with other tax services, you’d have to go directly to the IRS to pay this way.
TurboTax: Pros and Cons
Now that we’ve laid out the basics of TurboTax’s features, what’s the verdict on its performance? Like all financial products and services, there are both pros and cons to using TurboTax.
Who Is TurboTax Best For?
When it comes down to it, most online tax preparation services are more alike than they are different.
TurboTax may be best for someone who wants custom tax help without going into an office and dealing with a live person. It’s also a good option if you’re looking for a truly fee-free line of advance tax credit so you can access your money ASAP.
Remember, you can always file for free, if you’re eligible, through the IRS Free File portal. This service is available to filers who earned $73,000 or less (in 2021), and the page also links to free fillable forms for earners at all levels.
Still comparison shopping? Check out our reviews of H&R Block and TaxAct and our comparison of the best tax software before you make a decision.
