TurboTax is among the most trusted tax prep software program obtainable. Itโs priced primarily based on how a lot help you want and the way sophisticated your taxes are. Theyโve a Do-It-Your self plan, a Reside Help plan (that allows you to ask a tax professional questions), and a Reside Full Assist plan the place a tax professional will do your taxes for you and file in your behalf.
How a lot youโll pay for every plan will depend on how sophisticated your taxes are. In addition they have a full suite of ensures, similar to an accuracy assure and a most refund assure.
Each return comes with audit help, which helps you to ask questions when you get audited, however the tax professional wonโt characterize you to the IRS. You possibly can add on full audit help for a further payment.
Desk of Contents
- How A lot Does TurboTax Value
- TurboTax for Free Version
- Do It Your self
- Reside Assisted
- Reside Full Service
- Enterprise Taxes
- Audit Assist
- Accuracy Assure
- Most Refund Assure
- Free Refund Advance
- Who Ought to use TurboTax
- Who Shouldnโt use TurboTax
- How TurboTax Works
- TurboTax Obtain
- TurboTax Alternate options
How A lot Does TurboTax Value
TurboTax is among the costlier tax software program obtainable, however for good purpose. Itโs the gold normal in the case of on-line tax prep and has all of the options you could possibly want in an easy-to-use bundle. In addition they lowered their costs once more this 12 months, so itโs truly getting extra reasonably priced.
The TurboTax variations obtainable are primarily based on how a lot help youโll obtain. The Do It Your self model doesnโt include any tax help, Reside Assisted means that you can ask a tax professional tax questions, and Full Service helps you to hand off your entire process to a tax professional who will file it in your behalf.
How a lot youโll pay for every model will depend on how sophisticated your taxes are. You can begin without spending a dime and improve as wanted; youโll solely pay whenever you truly file your taxes.


Notice: Do you know that when you rented your private home out for 14 or fewer days, youโll be able to exclude that rental revenue out of your tax return due to the Augusta Rule. In case you would in any other case have a quite simple tax scenario, aside from rental revenue of 14 or fewer days, you could possibly nonetheless use the free editions.
TurboTax for Free Version
Greatest for: Easy tax returns
Audit help included: Informational solely | Accuracy assure: Sure | Most return assure: Sure
โ Contains one state
โ Simple to make use of
โ Not everybody will qualify
File without spending a dime with TurboTax Free Version. ~37% of taxpayers qualify and it contains Kind 1040 + restricted credit solely. File without spending a dime with TurboTax Free Version. For easy tax returns solely. Not all taxpayers qualify.
TurboTax Free Version is technically a part of the Do It Your self model, however itโs good to interrupt it out of the record so we are able to focus on it in full.
Easy tax returns can qualify without spending a dime providers. This contains:
- W-2 revenue
- Curiosity revenue
- Dividend revenue
- Retirement revenue
- Commonplace deduction
- Earned revenue tax credit score
- Youngster tax credit score
- Tuition
- Scholar mortgage curiosity deduction
- Market medical health insurance
Itโs necessary to notice that the free plan contains your federal return and one free state. Further states are $39 every.
This plan doesnโt include any tax help.
Do It Your self
Greatest For: Returns with easy or average complexity
Audit help included: Informational solely | Accuracy assure: Sure | Most return assure: Sure
โ Contains all tax returns
โ Doesnโt embody any tax help
Easy returns: $0 for federal and one state
Different returns: as much as $89 for federal and $39 per state
The Do It Your self plan doesnโt include any dwell tax help. There may be tech help when youโve got questions concerning the software program, however youโll not have entry to a tax professional.
Easy returns: This plan could also be free when youโve got a easy return. For instance, solely having W-2 revenue and taking the usual deduction.
Average or complicated returns: When youโve got a extra sophisticated return, similar to being a freelancer or eager to itemize, youโll pay as much as $89 on your federal return and $39 for every state it is advisable to file in. It could be much less, relying in your particular return.
Reside Assisted
Greatest For: Talking with a tax professional
Audit help included: Informational solely | Accuracy assure: Sure | Most return assure: Sure
โProvides you limitless entry to a tax professional
โCan share your display screen with the tax professional
โCostly
Pricing: Between $49 and $169 for federal and $39 to $49 per state
The Reside Assisted model offers you entry to a tax skilled who can reply tax questions particular to your scenario. Tax consultants can be found beginning in January till April fifteenth, 7 days per week, from 5 AM to 9 PM, Pacific time.
As you file, when you discover youโve got a questions, youโll be able to click on the โReside Assistโ button to be related to a tax professional. You possibly can join with them through telephone, chat, or one-way video name (youโll be able to see them, however they willโt see you.) In case you select video name, youโll be able to share your display screen, and the agent can make sure you enter the data accurately.
Relying on the complexity of your taxes, youโll pay between $49 and $169 on your federal return and between $39 and $49 for every state return.
Reside Full Service
Greatest For: Having your taxes accomplished for you
Audit help included: Informational solely | Accuracy assure: Sure | Most return assure: Sure
โ You donโt should do your personal taxes
โPricing just isnโt clear
Pricing: Begins at $89 for federal and $49 for state
With this model, youโll merely hand your taxes over to a tax professional, and theyโll file your return for you. This plan begins at $89 for federal returns for the only of returns and goes up from there, relying on the complexity.
Youโll be matched with a devoted tax professional, and theyโll share their particular hours with you. You possibly can attain them through telephone name or one-way video chat. In case you need assistance exterior these hours, different consultants can be found 7 days per week from 5 AM to 9 PM Pacific time.
You possibly can work with the identical professional 12 months after 12 months if you would like, assuming theyโre nonetheless with TurboTax subsequent 12 months.
Enterprise Taxes
When youโve got a enterprise, itโs possible youโll be concerned about Turbo Tax for your corporation taxes. Turbo Tax covers S-corps, LLCs, partnerships, and sole proprietors.
Pricing begins at $489 for Reside Assisted and $1,169 for Reside Full Service. Youโll additionally get year-round help, which suggests youโll be able to join with a tax professional any time youโve got tax questions, even when itโs not tax time.
Youโll additionally get Audit Protection included, which suggests a tax professional will help you in case your return is audited, together with illustration with the IRS.


Audit Assist
Informational audit help is included in each particular person plan, and Reside Assisted Enterprise and Full Service Enterprise. In different phrases, you get audit help except you probably did a enterprise return with out help.
The included audit help means that you can name TurboTax and converse to a tax skilled who will reply questions on any letters you obtained or the audit course of. They wonโt write letters or converse to the IRS in your behalf.
If you would like full audit protection, youโll should improve. The worth just isnโt disclosed, however Turbo Tax makes use of the corporate โTax Auditโ to supply the audit protection and you may get a private plan for $49.99 immediately from them. Final 12 months it was $39.99 by means of Turbo Tax. So Iโd anticipate the worth to be between $40 and $50.
In case your return is audited, they are going to deal with each side of your audit for you โ together with representing you with the IRS โ at no further value. Consider it like audit insurance coverage.
Accuracy Assure
TurboTaxโs calculations are assured correct. If youโre charged a penalty or curiosity as a result of a calculation error (ie, you place in the correct data however the software program made a mistake) TurboTax pays the penalties and curiosity.
They wonโt pay the additional taxes that you just legitimately owe.
Most Refund Assure
In case you file your particular person return with TurboTax after which redo your taxes with one other firm and get a much bigger return (or smaller tax legal responsibility), you may get a refund of the charges you paid to TurboTax.
This doesnโt apply to enterprise taxes.
Free Refund Advance
In case you canโt wait on your refund to point out up you may get a refund advance as much as $4,000, without spending a dime.
It receivedโt value you any charges or curiosity, however you do should open a checking account with Credit score Karma Cash. Your advance might be deposited into the Credit score Karma Cash checking account inside a couple of minutes.
Who Ought to use TurboTax
Anybody who qualifies for the free model of TurboTax ought to go forward.
Additionally, if youโre nervous about doing all of your taxes your self, TurboTax is a superb place to start submitting as a result of youโll be able to improve to tax help, and when you nonetheless need extra assist, youโll be able to improve once more to the full-service plan. TurboTax is the one tax software program that has all three choices.
Most tax software program will let you add on the power to talk to a tax professional and ask questions, however few have the choice to only hand them over fully and have the professional file in your behalf.
Who Shouldnโt use TurboTax
If youโre assured in your skill to do your personal taxes, itโs possible youโll not want all of the help that TurboTax affords. If so, you might be paying for options you most likely donโt want, and youโd be simply positive utilizing a cheaper service.
Additionally, when youโve got very sophisticated enterprise taxes, you is likely to be higher off having your taxes accomplished by an accountant and skipping tax software program altogether.
How TurboTax Works
TurboTax will stroll you thru the method of doing all of your taxes by asking easy, plain English, questions that may information the software program to know what types and data youโll have to submit.
For instance, itโll ask you when youโve got dependents. In case you say sure, youโll be guided to enter their data. In case you say no, the software program will skip all issues associated to dependents.
If it asks for data that it is advisable to observe down, or havenโt obtained but, youโll be able to skip the query and are available again to it later. Itโs very straightforward to navigate round to completely different sections and add in types and paperwork as they arrive in.
TurboTax Obtain
TurboTax does have downloadable software program when you donโt need to file on-line. It is a little more costly if youโre solely doing one return, however the true profit is that you may file a number of federal returns with the obtain model.
For instance, the essential model is $40, however youโll be able to e-file 5 federal returns and state returns are $20 every. So, if youโre doing taxes for a number of individuals, this might avoid wasting cash.
TurboTax Alternate options
TurboTax isnโt the one place to get your taxes accomplished.
H&R Block
H&R Block is a powerful competitor to TurboTax. Theyโve been doing taxes since 1955, and also you most likely have an area workplace close to you.
The principle distinction is that with H&R Block, you donโt have the choice to ask inquiries to a tax professional on any plan. Tax questions are answered by an AI chatbot, and if you wish to converse to a human, itโs a must to improve all the best way to a full-service plan, the place they file in your behalf.
Nonetheless, the free model of their on-line software program is extra complete than TurboTaxโs model. For instance, it contains unemployment revenue. So, when you donโt qualify for the free model of TurboTax, take a look at H&R Block.
Right hereโs our full evaluate of H&R Block.
TaxSlayer
TaxSlayerโs free model is pretty complete and contains one state return, however itโs a must to have underneath $100,000 in taxable revenue to qualify.
Nonetheless, the following stage up, the Traditional plan, in all fairness priced and covers nearly all particular person tax conditions. If you wish to add on tax help, youโll have to improve to the Premium plan, however itโs solely a further $20, which isnโt a nasty value for tax help.
Right hereโs our full evaluate of TaxSlayer.
FreeTaxUSA
FreeTaxUSA contains nearly each tax scenario in its free plan. It doesnโt embody a state, however the state returns are solely $14.99. You possibly can add on tax help for $39.99 and full audit protection for $19.99.