{"slug": "freetaxusa", "name": "FreeTaxUSA", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 5, "commenters": 7, "warners": 1, "score": 3.773, "rising": 1.02, "first": "2025-11-05", "latest": "2026-10-28", "why": "I moved to FreeTaxUSA last year and it's like a breath of fresh air", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 5, "neutral": 0, "compare": 1, "warn": 1}, "spark": [1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 2], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I moved to FreeTaxUSA last year and it's like a breath of fresh air", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": "freetaxusa.com", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://www.freetaxusa.com", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["FreeTaxUSA"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 804522128, "item_id": 50282633, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50282633", "by": "tosser811", "date": "2026-10-28", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I moved to FreeTaxUSA last year and it's like a breath of fresh air", "excerpt": "Funny, after 10+ years of using TurboTax Online I moved to FreeTaxUSA last year and it's like a breath of fresh air. TurboTax couldn't do what I needed to do (e-file a late return) and FreeTaxUSA had no problem with doing that.", "context": "10+ year TurboTax user", "use_case": "filing late tax return", "switched_from": "TurboTax", "story": "Dayjob: Tax \u2013 evaluating AI agents on 50 professional tax assignments"}, {"id": 800459793, "item_id": 50028737, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50028737", "by": "jfrbfbreudh", "date": "2026-10-10", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "instead of paying the $150 to file, I had Claude go and fill the same forms out on FreeTaxUSA and compared the values", "excerpt": "I did in April. I had Claude fill out my forms on TurboTax and TaxAct, and got my estimated tax payments. And instead of paying the $150 to file, I had Claude go and fill the same forms out on FreeTaxUSA and compared the values and they were within a few dollars of the other platforms, and I filed.", "context": "", "use_case": "filing taxes", "switched_from": "TurboTax", "story": "Ask HN: Why hasn't AI replaced Tax filing software"}, {"id": 771476289, "item_id": 48217268, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48217268", "by": "kev009", "date": "2026-05-20", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I think I will just move to something like", "excerpt": "I've been using it out of laziness because I know it will import the previous year. But it is pretty buggy and getting worse, they clearly want you to move off the desktop software. If you look at the actual generated tax forms, there's a lot of extra pomp around filling out some pretty trivial forms and worksheets. If they cut the desktop software I think I will just move to something like https://www.freetaxusa.com", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Intuit to lay off over 3k employees to refocus on AI"}, {"id": 755765376, "item_id": 47235336, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47235336", "by": "SamuelAdams", "date": "2026-03-03", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "FreeTaxUsa [1] exists and is much cheaper than Turbo Tax.", "excerpt": "FreeTaxUsa [1] exists and is much cheaper than Turbo Tax. That being said, this is not free - you are paying for Claude to do this in both tokens and data. I personally think it is insane to hand over your private financial data to an AI company, but I also recognize not everyone has the same concerns. [1]: https://www.freetaxusa.com/", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "I Used Claude to File My Taxes for Free"}, {"id": 733151824, "item_id": 45821989, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45821989", "by": "sgerenser", "date": "2025-11-05", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "There are already ways to file your taxes for free or very cheap, e.g. https://www.freetaxusa.com", "excerpt": "There are already ways to file your taxes for free or very cheap, e.g. https://www.freetaxusa.com. It would be hard for anyone to compete with a free or very cheap competitor, even as a nonprofit.", "context": "", "use_case": "Tax filing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Direct File won't happen in 2026, IRS tells states"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "tosser811", "context": "10+ year TurboTax user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50282633", "date": "2026-10-28"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["tax filing", "filing late tax return", "filing taxes"], "compared": [{"slug": "claude", "name": "Claude", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50004396", "title": "Ask HN: Why hasn't AI replaced Tax filing software", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50275626", "title": "Dayjob: Tax \u2013 evaluating AI agents on 50 professional tax assignments", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49568025", "title": "FreeTaxUSA's Binding Arbitration Agreement", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48216278", "title": "Intuit to lay off over 3k employees to refocus on AI", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47234093", "title": "I Used Claude to File My Taxes for Free", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45818319", "title": "Direct File won't happen in 2026, IRS tells states", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 1}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"warn": 1}, "2026-10": {"compare": 1, "recommend": 2}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 804522128, "item_id": 50282633, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50282633", "by": "tosser811", "date": "2026-10-28", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I moved to FreeTaxUSA last year and it's like a breath of fresh air", "excerpt": "Funny, after 10+ years of using TurboTax Online I moved to FreeTaxUSA last year and it's like a breath of fresh air. TurboTax couldn't do what I needed to do (e-file a late return) and FreeTaxUSA had no problem with doing that.", "context": "10+ year TurboTax user", "use_case": "filing late tax return", "switched_from": "TurboTax", "story": "Dayjob: Tax \u2013 evaluating AI agents on 50 professional tax assignments"}, {"id": 800459793, "item_id": 50028737, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50028737", "by": "jfrbfbreudh", "date": "2026-10-10", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "instead of paying the $150 to file, I had Claude go and fill the same forms out on FreeTaxUSA and compared the values", "excerpt": "I did in April. I had Claude fill out my forms on TurboTax and TaxAct, and got my estimated tax payments. And instead of paying the $150 to file, I had Claude go and fill the same forms out on FreeTaxUSA and compared the values and they were within a few dollars of the other platforms, and I filed.", "context": "", "use_case": "filing taxes", "switched_from": "TurboTax", "story": "Ask HN: Why hasn't AI replaced Tax filing software"}, {"id": 800075201, "item_id": 50004700, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50004700", "by": "thereitgoes456", "date": "2026-10-08", "version": null, "stance": "compare", "quote": "FreeTaxUSA is even cheaper.", "excerpt": "Can you be more specific on how you expect AI to do this? If you\u2019re thinking by an independent, motivated do-gooder, TurboTax costs around $100 for most people, and few people are going to use some untested solution to save that small amount of money, vs. the scare of being fully liable for one\u2019s own tax mistakes. FreeTaxUSA is even cheaper.", "context": "", "use_case": "tax filing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Why hasn't AI replaced Tax filing software"}, {"id": 793103264, "item_id": 49568954, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49568954", "by": "OneDeuxTriSeiGo", "date": "2026-09-04", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "", "excerpt": "Well the better option is https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/free-file-fillable-forms", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "FreeTaxUSA's Binding Arbitration Agreement"}, {"id": 771476289, "item_id": 48217268, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48217268", "by": "kev009", "date": "2026-05-20", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I think I will just move to something like", "excerpt": "I've been using it out of laziness because I know it will import the previous year. But it is pretty buggy and getting worse, they clearly want you to move off the desktop software. If you look at the actual generated tax forms, there's a lot of extra pomp around filling out some pretty trivial forms and worksheets. If they cut the desktop software I think I will just move to something like https://www.freetaxusa.com", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Intuit to lay off over 3k employees to refocus on AI"}, {"id": 755765376, "item_id": 47235336, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47235336", "by": "SamuelAdams", "date": "2026-03-03", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "FreeTaxUsa [1] exists and is much cheaper than Turbo Tax.", "excerpt": "FreeTaxUsa [1] exists and is much cheaper than Turbo Tax. That being said, this is not free - you are paying for Claude to do this in both tokens and data. I personally think it is insane to hand over your private financial data to an AI company, but I also recognize not everyone has the same concerns. [1]: https://www.freetaxusa.com/", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "I Used Claude to File My Taxes for Free"}, {"id": 733151824, "item_id": 45821989, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45821989", "by": "sgerenser", "date": "2025-11-05", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "There are already ways to file your taxes for free or very cheap, e.g. https://www.freetaxusa.com", "excerpt": "There are already ways to file your taxes for free or very cheap, e.g. https://www.freetaxusa.com. It would be hard for anyone to compete with a free or very cheap competitor, even as a nonprofit.", "context": "", "use_case": "Tax filing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Direct File won't happen in 2026, IRS tells states"}]}