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Comment by linsomniac | Hacker News Reader

FYI: Alternatives include: Cash App Taxes https://cash.app/taxes and FreeTaxUSA https://www.freetaxusa.com/

I had started my taxes this year with TurboTax, but it wasn't loading some of my investments automatically, which was one of the big plusses it brought to the table.

One minus reported by HN users on a thread yesterday is that CashApp Taxes require you to install their app to login, you login by scanning a QR code on your phone and the app logs you in.

Last night I started with CashApp Taxes, and it looks pretty good. Other reviewers here yesterday were saying they had done both and preferred FreeTaxUSA, so I was going to get started over there and see which one I liked best.

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Just filed mine yesterday with FreeTaxUSA, would recommend their services. Found it to be straightforward, explained stuff I didn’t understand, and as far as I could tell, they didn’t try to trick me into paying for extra stuff. They presented a deluxe option for sure, but didn’t implement some dark pattern that made it impossible to go the free route for federal (state costs money, mine cost $15).

+1 for freetaxusa. I held off for years using them because their name sounds pretty much like a scam to steal your identity.

They're stupid easy if you just have work income, and really simple if you have other schedules to file along with the basic forms. I have multiple types of income from multiple sources, and they're really simple still.

They will try to sell you their premium service, but nothing is locked behind that paywall, and it's presented once, clearly, with a clear way to accept or decline.

I've thought about buying it just to support the business.

I also ended up completing my taxes on FreeTaxUSA, after having filed with TurboTax for years and getting started with Cash App Taxes earlier in the week. FreeTaxUSA was a really great experience, would highly recommend. I paid the $6-something for their upgraded service, and the $15-ish for state. Didn't end up using any of the upgraded service, but I wanted to give them some money.

I've had good experiences using Freetaxusa for several years. This year, however, I discovered that they don't support ISO exercise-and-hold behavior. They advertise support for form 6251 but don't allow you to enter anything in line 2i (or any lines not directly supported). Made a real mess.

+1 FreeTaxUSA

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