TaxAct Reviews

I have used TaxAct as a professional for a few years but this year they have become completely ridiculous with their logging in to my computer to prepare a tax or look something up. First I have to click I'm not a robot, then I have to click on the right appearing boxes, then I have to enter a code they send me via phone text... ughhh... Too time consuming!

I have used tax act for years and never had any problems, until this year. First I was locked out with my password and had to open a new account and start from scratch with all of my data. The program was extremely difficult to use. If you were new to doing taxes you would have missed most of your deductions. Was hard to find the proper pages to put your information/deductions in. I managed to get through with my taxes just to find out the price was increased by $20 from last year. Next year I will look elsewhere.

It states it is free but for whatever reason I was being billed 15 dollars. No explanation and no reason. It clearly states FREE!!! I guess I could have paid and been finished but I choose to use TurboTax and they offer free filing but you have the option to upgrade. The TurboTax site also is easier to use. I chose the free version and that's what I got. I do not recommend the TAXACT SCAM!! VERY DISSATISFIED!!

I've used the service for four (4) years. Functionally, the product is a little quirky, but once you get used to it, it works well. My frustration (and reason for leaving) is the fact that they sent an offer LATE 2015 (when there is only 1-2 months left in the tax year) to lock your rate for their service. It does state 2015, but since I'd already file my taxes 9 months earlier - my assumption was that it was for the following (2016) tax year. Once I completed the current year, I was surprised to find that I owed the full retail rate ($35 in my case). I went ahead and paid it, but I won't be doing business with them in the future. Why would you advertise an option to lock in your rate - when there's only 1-2 months left in the tax year? To me it's deceptive advertising. My mother always said, "If there's smoke in the kitchen, there's probably a fire close behind." I don't want to get burned! I'll be trying TaxSlayer next year.

I have used TaxAct.com for a number of years and have had no problems until this year. Almost every time I signed in with my correct user id & password, plus the "Captcha" info, I was immediately redirected to sign-in again or when I clicked on the "Continue where I left off" button. Then when I finally got through after several sign-in attempts, I was directed to a page that I had already filled out before. After completing a few previous filled-out pages and possibly a few new ones, all which were saved, I was then forced to exit and sign-in again. This went on for many hours over 3 days. I tried a different browser, rebooted my computer, used a different computer, cleared out the cache-same problem. When I contacted the customer service on chat, they wrote this was a problem they could not help with and directed me to email or call. I emailed my issue, but have not received a response.

I filled out the questions as I did for many years and when I came to the end it asked me to give them a credit card number for the $10 that I requested to upload last year's tax return. And when I got to the end I could not print my tax return, I would have to pay the IRS directly right then and there. I need my copy and I buy a money order to send it April 15.

I have used TaxAct for a number of years. I purchased the 2016 Federal and State versions for a total of $61. Based on my experience, I will no longer use TaxAct to prepare my tax returns. There are two reasons for this decision. The first reason is the "bait and switch" technique associated with electronic filing of your return. The program implies that the cost is merely $10 to file electronically. However, after several steps an additional $25 dollar charge is revealed. I think that many taxpayers may end up paying this fee, due to confusion or just plain exhaustion. The second related problem is that when I attempted to print my federal and state returns, I discovered that the state return cannot be printed. Multiple contacts with TaxAct customer service were unsatisfactory. The response was that final NM state tax forms were not yet available. As of this final day in February 2017, the forms are not available from TaxAct. I will be seeking paper forms elsewhere.

Just logged on to TaxAct to begin my federal filing and was first shocked by the extraordinary rise in prices. Next, instead of logging in and importing last year's filing, I had to create a new login name, password and answer three security questions. Now, I know this is because of all those little hackers living in their mother's basements, but I got through it. Next, it asked whether I wanted to import last year's return. Well, yes, this is why I use TaxAct because they already have the basic answers and can prompt me for 1099 info from the same companies as last year. The only file I have ever gotten from them is a .pdf, but now they are asking for a file with another extension and which I do not have which means I have to begin again from the very beginning.

I used them the first year with no problem except for printing and I was able to reach them for help with that. Since then I have never been able to reach them for help and they won't let you back on their website. This year I paid $65.00 for efile and another $25.00 that I was unclear what it was for. So I efiled anyway. I got my refund from Federal (IRs) within about 2 weeks. I was unable to verify if they took out the charges they wanted, perhaps that is what the extra $25.00 was for. I thought I was paying the $65.00 for help but can't even get back on the website to verify what I already put. It seems they don't recognize me, they keep asking the same questions.

This year will be my 3rd year using TaxACT if I can even get my return processed. The 1st 2 years I never had a problem. So I know how to enter a tax return. I only use TaxACT for my business, however I have been using Free Tax USA for my personal return for 7 years. Free Tax USA does not do business returns. So I have experience with two softwares and can definitely tell the difference in TaxACT v. Free Tax USA. TaxACT does not give thorough explanations if you have a question about something.

I have used TaxACT for last 5 years and been satisfied with the product. I used it for my taxes which required self-employed business income, capital gains on stock transactions, itemized deductions, and on another return which has a lot - 30 or so... stock and option trades to report. In previous years this all worked rather smoothly and I was satisfied... until this year.

I have used TaxAct for several years. After finishing the tax, TaxAct failed to deliver the e-file in both state and federal. The files returned in various reasons. I would never used their e-file again.

I been doing my taxes along with my kids and brother. Through the years the price has been more than fair. Last year it was $20. This year it's $50. Our info, income etc is the same every year. I'm very upset! My family will be doing their taxes elsewhere. I feel I have been scammed! I'm a senior and disabled. This is not right! Federal taxes have always been free!

I have been using TaxACT for a number of years, like most of you. Prior years had no complaints fees were reasonable. Not aware of any mistakes in the government's favor. In 2015 the fee was half of the 2016 fee. This year all has changed - fees doubled, software mistakes I having a very difficult time dealing with. Costing me money, as well as possibly an audit. Which they don't back up their work. This year really makes me think, how many years were mistakes made without my knowledge. Next year will be a very different story, it will not be about TaxAct... I'M DONE.

I have used TaxACT (online) for more than 8 years and though it was not free (we have long schedule D and schedule C) it was reasonably priced and I was able to verify that all the forms were correct before paying. In four of those years I had contact support and wait for them to fix certain bugs before filing. This year I am now unable to view the forms (IRS or State) and their support doesn't seem to be aware that views were available in previous years. The only response from their support tells me to pay and file, then I can print all the forms. They know nothing about viewing forms!

I have been a TaxAct customer for years. This year when starting my usual tax info they wanted $10.00 to import my last year's tax information that was always done for free before. Then I chose the basic package and painstakingly inputted all my itemized deductions. But to advance and keep all my itemized work I would have to upgrade to a costlier feature or be stuck with a default of standard deduction which was substantially lower than my itemized. So here is a comparison 2015 TaxAct was $29.98 for Fed & State e-file 2016 same e-file cost me $60.00. This year it took me longer than normal, program did not work well, was a pain in the neck and a 100% increase in cost than last year. TaxAct lost a customer of over 15 years. SHAME.

While the application worked fine and I am happy with it, I am very unhappy that the price has almost doubled in one year. I typically do our return and several friends as well as family members, and this is going to cost too much. I will be looking elsewhere, despite being a faithful Tax Act user for over 7 years. I have also recommended it in the past to others but will not be doing so again.

Last time I will use TAXACT. Misleads you as free. Starts off lying about it being free if your income is less than "X", as it drags you slowly thru it then after all your time has been invested, it tells you if you have an HSA account, you have to upgrade for $27.00, then charges another $33.00 to file state returns. My state return was $75.00. They took $33.00 of it. That should be illegal.

TaxAct claims you will be able to file and print tax returns for free. IT IS FALSE! The programs allows you to get all the way to the end of entering all of your information and then requires you to pay substantial amounts of money to e-file or print a paper return. If you do not pay, you will not be able to access any of your information and will have wasted your time. FIND A TRULY FREE TAX SYSTEM!

I have being TaxAct for a few years... It's better than spending 400.00 or so with H&R Block or Jackson Hewitt. TaxAct only charges me about 30.00 to file my fed and state. Super easy and works for me each time. Republic bank is with bank that the funds are deposited from. TurboTax wanted to charge me 80.00 and they were also getting me back 300.00 less than TaxAct... Thanks TaxAct.

I'm trying to file my NYS CORP return and their system keeps telling me forms are not yet approved by NYS. After calling NYS this is not true. They keep giving me the runaround. A very unprofessional company with horrible customer service. Will never use again.

I had a question about an apparent error in TaxAct's calculations, but could not reach them by phone. One phone number never rang and the other just gave a busy signal - in February! That's when I came here and saw all the other trouble people have with TaxAct now. Guess that's the end of my business with this company after 14 years of using it.

Price lock guarantee is very confusing. Back in November 2016 TaxACT sent a email to me indicating they responding I could take advantage of the cyber Monday price lock guarantee. In effect, I would be able to get certain features which I would not be charged for. I responded accordingly and thought everything was all set for my 2016 filings. Upon completing my filings, I was charged approximately $60. I assumed it was to be free. I believe that TaxACT made the process of accepting the cyber Monday offer so complicated that most people we are not able to participate in it even though they thought they qualified. Repeated emails back-and-forth between me and the company were to no avail. And I am out $60. I would strongly consider not using them in the future.

I have been using TaxACT for roughly 8 years. It has always been good. However, after this year the price for a standard 1040 more than tripled to $40 and the price for the fed e-file fee went from $15 to $65? Also the software was so frail it took almost 4 hours to get thru the basic return without having to go thru pages I have been thru twice before. TaxACT has never had "great software" but this year it's noticeably worse. I will definitely not be using this "service" any longer. Very disappointed.

After several years using TaxAct with very good results, since the 2015 and now 2016, last year I use them. Application getting really difficult to use, fees are now in every corner, and of course, they wait until the last screen to submit the electronic version for a direct deposit service to hit you with a $25 charge, just to use direct deposit. 2016 cost of the download double plus $25 band fee, just about how much a CPA would had charged me to do my taxes. Done with TaxAct. PLUS - called them and it seems like they have just two people answering calls. Took forever to get a life person. BYE TAXACT!

TaxAct is absolutely garbage, DO NOT use it. It is riddled with bugs, crashes regularly, and the advertisement for a "free return" is absolutely false. My return was free, but my boyfriend's was $90 for NO REASON. Our returns were nearly identical but they charged him $90 for what should have been a free return. Absolutely ridiculous, DO NOT waste your money on this worthless service.

I've use TaxAct for a number of years and if I ever use it again I'll be very careful. This year after going through the most tedious process I've ever gone through I'm asked if I want my fee deducted from my return, I said yes. It never told me it was going to cost me $25 to do this or I would have paid by credit card for no extra charge. I could have cancelled the filing but after 2 hours I felt it wasn't worth it. I'm told I can do it on TurboTax FREE from now on or I can do it by paper easy enough. Very deceptive to me, it should have been made clear to the user that if you do it by CC there is no extra fee and if you take it out of taxes it will cost you.

I have used TaxAct for the past 3 years and it is not free, by any means. The cost to file has gone up each year. First year was only $14 and state was free. Then next year was $24. This year almost $60. Will not be using them this year.

I received a promotional email offer from TaxACT on January 22 which offered the Premium version of their software for 55.00. I clicked on the link from the email on February 4 and the price was 70.00. I called TaxACT customer service and they said their website said the $55.00 price expired on January 31. The expiration of their price IS NOT mentioned in the promotional email (even in the small print). They refused to honor the price from the email. This is deceptive and false advertising. An honorable company would honor their agreements. I have used them for 3 years and will not use them this year OR in the future.

I wanted to go out on my own this year, so I decided to use TaxAct Professional. I got all the paperwork together everything approved I opened up my business and was so embarrassed I could not efile. They took my money for efiling but they were not going through so I lost customers and they will not refund my money for the returns that did not go through. PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. THIS COMPANY IS EMPLOYED WITH A BUNCH OF CROOKS.

I've used TaxAct for years, and have been relatively satisfied. Sometimes cumbersome, I've grown accustomed to its interface. It's always been frustrating at the end to get to the right point of printing/e-filing, but until April 2016 all had worked well. Completing our relatively simple 2015 Federal & State returns, I submitted them for e-filing. Everything checked out, and at first, I received a message saying our returns had been accepted by the IRS/State. A few minutes later, I received a message saying No, they in fact had been rejected by the IRS, and consequently by the State. I "fixed and filed" my returns FIVE TIMES, WITH NO SUCCESS. And NO SUPPORT FROM TAXACT. The next day, I tried again, with the same result. I printed the message pages, and the returns, and mailed them via certified mail to IRS and the State.

TaxAct sent the wrong account number! I reviewed my e-file. The correct account number/Rn is shown. But the account number has dashes 000-000-000. No matter what I did the dashes would not go away. Now I have to wait for a paper check. For both state and federal.

I never had a problem with TaxAct until last year. I have a Daughter who during the 2015 year was 16 turned 17 at the end of the year and was a full-time high school student. TaxAct would not let me claim her; I entered in the info exactly as I was suppose to, but for some reason never got a question asking if she was a school student. I don't know why I didn't question it, I thought maybe because she had a part-time job (working 3 hours a week). Now During the 2016 year she was 17 turned 18 at the end of the year still full-time high school student and yet again would not let me claim her and yet again never asked the question if she was a school student.

Does anyone know why when I go to the e-check status it tells me "a return matching the data was not found" but then when I log on to TaxACT it says "you have e-filed your return" and then when I go to 2016 e-file status report my federal and state have been accepted on 1/26/2017. But then when I go to where's my refund it also tells me that I have no information available. But before when I got the email and text saying that my state and federal had been accepted by the IRS I could see my status and the bars on where's my refund. So I look into my e-file and this is what it tells me "We are showing the following errors with the returns you are attempting to e-file.

Every time I need to call for a question concerning my account I get the best service. One representative in particular named Monica, will not forget her name as its the same as my daughter's. Monica was extremely patient and helped me update my password. She answered all my questions and even took my order of the software by phone. It is because of great service that I continue to use taxact. Thank you!

TaxAct is not a free filing service. I started to file this year 2017 and they wanted to charge me $60 for state and federal. I cancelled everything. Will never use them again. I can file for free. Very disappointed.

TaxAct -- what a nightmare. Spent around 5 hours TRYING to file with TaxAct, and my taxes are EASY. Site is NOT user-friendly. Encountered repeated technical issues trying to print required documents. At the end of my "free" filing, I find I'm charged $20 + $5 from some "Republic Bank." Finally canceled the return and went to TurboTax. What a contrast! Easy to use, quickly done, and NO hidden fees at the end. Free means FREE!

I've been with TaxACT for years, but this will be the last one. I got through the process then onto e-filing. The dollar amount stated to efile was a bit over $10. I went thru the process (which honestly took longer than doing my taxes). On the page that asked how I wanted to pay, I clicked to deduct the amount from my refund. Okay fine. Then I get to the very LAST page and it tells me the amount they'll take is over $32. I didn't see that amount anywhere else. At that point I just wanted it done, so went ahead. But they've lost my business because of it.

After trying H&R Block a little complex and difficult to understand. The cost was too high to deal with it year to year. I used TurboTax's program for several years but have had issues trying to find archived taxes even after paying extra for that service. Again, too pricey. TaxAct became my favorite because it was easy to navigate and cost effective. I have access to my taxes for 7 years without additional fees. Though all three have had free federal and state filing fee for lower income taxpayers for several years TaxAct, to the best of my knowledge, was the first to offer it to the "average joe" middle class working taxpayers. I highly recommend it. Best Tax Program for Your Buck!

I have used TaxAct for several years and have not had any trouble. For anybody with a computer, I would highly recommend them. Their process is easy and straightforward. One year I tried another company because they sent me a CD-rom, but I didn't care for it as much. I don't know why so many people are sending in bad reviews.

On the night before individual income tax returns are due they choose to shut their site down. Continuously I have been frustrated with their technical incompetency and customer support. You have to have poop for brains to even consider shutting your system down the night before taxes are due. You cannot login to their system to work. WTF TAXACT, seriously.

With the 2015 version you have to upgrade to Premium ($40) to be able to print Schedule C. This is a way of forcing people to pay more otherwise the return can not be printed. But there is a way around this. You can still print each form manually. On Schedule C, I just fill in a blank form from the IRS website and printed this. Then just mail the form. I am not sure if you can file electronically if you are not a Premium user.

This company is a robbery tool. It is creating "free" version of software, that is sitting in your computer along with all forms you filled and filed. BUT you are never able to print them after you filed. NEVER. That is what they are explaining to you, pushing you to purchase their stupid product AGAIN. It is clearly robbery tool. Moreover, the specialists there are rude, incompetent and at such place could not be trusted. Do NOT trust them your information. Go somewhere else.

TaxACT has improved on the technical issues that drove the IRS payment mishaps of past filings but the back-end load that gets dropped once the return is verified, submitted and filed more than doubles the "bait" price they advertise. I was expecting my $19.99 TaxACT experience to total out to $30-35 with filing and payment transfer to the IRS, but it ended up totaling up to about $50. The process of filling out the form was relatively good, with a finale.

I've used TaxAct for over ten years. There is a flaw in the program that figures the self-employed insurance deduction for page one if you have Obamacare; this has been confirmed. If you are the owner of a Sub-S, in a partnership, or have a schedule C, and receive a 1095-A, review VERY carefully the amount TaxAct uses for your self-employed health insurance deduction. Very simply, if you have enough profit and/or W-2 wages from your business, the amount of the health insurance deduction should equal your actual out-of-pocket amount paid for health care plus or minus the adjustment for premiums on page two of your return. (The deduction is limited to profit plus wages (Sub-S) from the business.) You may have to amend previous years' returns.

I filed with TaxACT for last year like I did the year before. This time I too found out that my income tax information was not submitted by TaxACT. They have gotten me in trouble with the IRS. When I realized my information was not submitted I went back and tried again. Everything was done as it was supposed to be, but I found out the information still was not submitted. It is only when I read these reviews that I see that this has happened to others. TaxACT put me in a serious mess with the IRS for not submitting my information and we all know the IRS: they could care less about how, they just want my hard earned money, no matter what. TaxAct, you are deplorable!!!

I filed my 2015 NYS taxes with TaxACT, and still have not received my refund! I received confirmation from TaxAct stating my New York electronic return was accepted on 3/2/2016. Well it's been almost 7 months and still NOTHING!!! I will NEVER use TaxAct again. I'm still trying to find out what happened to my check...

I checked with the irs.gov, to see when my refund would arrive. I filed, paid and received the receipt. IRS couldn't find anything, on the phone, or the site. I logged into my TaxACT site, and it said, it wasn't completed nor filed. I should continue where I left off. After complaining to them about why they debited my account before it was completed, telling me that it was, they decided to issue a refund, in 2 to 15 days. I will never use them again, and I wouldn't advise my worst enemy to use them. My question to them is why did they charge me if the documents were not completed?

I've been filing taxes for a long time, but have never been more confused than filing with TaxAct. To make a long story short, I had to contact the support team due to the fact that it's June 28th, and I just discovered my taxes hadn't been filed.... and I paid twice! I had confirmed, sent, looked-at, scanned, printed, viewed, re-viewed, re-re-viewed, waited, and anticipated.... only to now worry that my federal and state filing had not been filed. Use this site with caution, or don't use it... it's up to you! I should have read the complaints, and noticed the 1 star rating... first!! Nope, nope, nope.

I am furious with their service. On google, they advertised free filing for both state and federal. Throughout the process, since I did not have the most basic filing needs (I submitted one additional form), they had to bump me to the next price point, which they stated was about $10. That's just fine. But when it came to check out, they charged $24.99. Then, when I had to leave and come back to complete it, they charged me again, and doubled the amount. In total, I paid these guys $74.99. When I called to request a refund for the second faulty charge, Mark (who was actually very polite and human), told me that the amount was correct because the price was 24.99 for each; federal and the two states that I filed to. I will NEVER use TaxACT again. Be upfront and clear with your prices instead of lying and sneak-charging!

We did our college-aged son's taxes in February. He owed money. We filed the forms electronically using TaxAct, and authorized credit card payment using their VPS (Value Payment System). Tax Act and the IRS accepted his return. Tax Act never followed through and made the payment! We received an unpaid taxes notice from the IRS in May, including late payment penalties and interest fees. Today, June 20th, we received an email from Tax Act saying, "Our records show that when filing your tax return, you chose to make your tax payment by credit card through Value Payment Systems (VPS). Unfortunately, the payment was authorized but never settled, so the tax payment may not have been completed." Why didn't they pay? Were they just keeping our money and how many others? How annoying. DO NOT USE TAXACT!

E-filed 04/11/2016 and until now, IRS/my State shows no records of submission. Resubmitted or re-efiled again today and IRS/State received/accepted the e-file transmission. An email message was sent to me indicating acceptance/confirmation of both Fed/State on 4/11/16 originally; however, a tech system malfunction must have occurred on either end since my refund was not received by my bank via direct deposit. Communication faults I believe should be borne by TaxAct.

When I file my taxes in March 2016 for my 2015 taxes! I was told TaxACT was good and it was free. I have been waiting for my refund for 2 months now. It was a short form. I can't get through to them in email to see where my refund at. Now I understand after reading all bad reviews. Still waiting. Never again I will use them. Never.

I have utilized this company in the past for filing online. In that I could not remember my pin number or tax information from 2014, I had to print out a copy of the filing and mail it to the IRS. I received a 5071C letter in the mail, and wanted to verify my identity, and wanted to have a copy of the filed return in front of me. Unfortunately, I did not make copies of what I filed since we are not allowed to make personal copies at work. When I tried to change my password, I still could not access my account.

I used TAXACT for the past three years to file my federal and state income taxes. This is the first year that it has been a disaster. I will never use them again. I prepared and thought that I had submitted my return online on April 17th, 2016. I found out a couple of days ago (May 18th), only by accident, that they were not filed at all. Luckily, I had paid the Feds what I owed them, so they won't have to hunt me down. Or at least I think they won't. That was what the TaxACT phone rep told me. Good luck with that advice.

Tried to contact consumer services by telephone but all options were either invalid or not available. Tried sending an e-mail question but the program kept telling me there was a problem with the form. This is the last year for TaxAct. From now on I will use another filing service.

I e-filed with Taxact this year for the first time. That was my first mistake. I should have read the reviews first. I complete our taxes every year and for the FIRST TIME IN 40 YEARS our taxes are now late! I completed the whole process, even putting in our routing and bank info and was charged on my cc for fed and state and waited and waited and waited. Finally today I logged back into Taxact only to find out it said I hadn't e-filed! Usually a good tax company will email you if you haven't finished. Did I get any emails? NO!!! We'll probably have to pay a penalty now because I thought I'd filed on APRIL 1st! Angry doesn't begin to describe my feelings right now! I will never use Taxact again!

Used TaxAct for years without issue until now. Loved how simple for the user, in fact. But this year had an issue on April 18 Tax Day with an "alert" that wouldn't allow me to complete the filing, and a support rep could have easily talked me through the resolution, but I couldn't get through their phone lines at all that day! Ended up having to print and file the paper, which was a HUGE disaster. My husband had to drive to my office to physically sign the paper form, and after all of that I forgot to include the W2 forms (didn't have them at work with me. Why would I... I was e-filing?!) My bad for waiting until the last day (we owed a lot of $ and I dragged my feet) but I needed TaxAct support THAT DAY and they weren't there for me. Seriously rethinking them for 2016.

Never again! Warning! Refund $816 fed... Paid $50 to process direct deposit... received $688... HUH?! Still waiting on State REF $223-$50. Still waiting since April 19, 2016.

I've used TaxACT for at least 6 years and this year was totally disappointing. The program itself was not user friendly and note I've used this for 5 years prior and had absolutely no problems maneuvering thru the program and even checking my efile status. PLUS, this is a biggy folks, the price more than DOUBLED! The state is no longer included in ANY of the packages. Last year I paid <$22; this year was $49.98! I called them and they said "they did a price restructure". I'll say they did. Well they lost this customer. Doesn't cost much more to go to an accountant for what I have... A simple return with Schedule A. Seriously TaxACT, are you kidding?!

They don't deserve one star! This isn't right! I understand that I waited until the day of which doesn't help in any way but I thought everything was fine until I checked the status of my taxes. They were not filed! When I entered my information, I had to re-enter everything over again because my password was a problem. It took so many times to get it right. Every time I logged in, my entries were not saved. I didn't want to start over using another company because I already spent all my time with this one. Now I am a week late. At least I have a refund with both state and federal but after reading the other reviews I may have to redo it to make sure it is correct. I don't understand how this company can be in business if this is all they do. Maybe they are committing fraud by having people enter their information so they can use it. It seems logical with the problems I encountered. I hope they stop doing business forever.

I admit I have used the free version to file my 1040 for the last few years. I have also recommended this program to others who have paid for filing Federal / State forms. Well... as others have indicated, IRS 1040 / Schedule A is no longer free. This company has made a terrible mistake by alienating a large segment of their "word of mouth" advertising. Sad to say I will no longer be praising TaxACT... but rather pushing other products. "TaxACT Free Federal Edition" = Bait and Switch.

I've had to start my e-file at minimum 5 times including software timeouts. I'm afraid I'll be charged multiple times. It was completely problematic and made me upset because it would not submit. It's crazy!

Been using this online tax prep service for at least 10 years. I won't ever use them again after this year. They tripled the price and they have bugs throughout the software. From issues logging on throughout my work doing my taxes to extreme issues getting it to submit - must have had to try 30 times. But just the price hike alone is enough to irritate me enough to change. One has to wonder how they make such foolish business decisions...

I went through the confusing set of forms and had apparently set up an auto-pay system that they weren't clear on. Unfortunately I found this out as my landlord tried to cash my check and it bounced. So now I'm given a steep fee for late payment and TaxACT refuses to refund me the amount. I tried to communicate with them on their site but it's apparently impossible to contact them in any way. You're just redirected to their stupid FAQ. I managed to find a number to use to at least cancel the autopay but so far I've been on hold for 30 minutes. So if you want to use software designed by thieves then go for it.

I have used this company to prepare taxes since 2006. After the software glitches and major hike in pricing, I will no longer use their service. I have referred over 40 friends, family, and work colleagues to use the program. I have sent out an email blast encouraging each and every one of them to go elsewhere. I will no longer talk highly of the company. I used to have the utmost respect for the company but with all of the speed bumps this year, I think I would feel more comfortable preparing them by hand. I found too many errors in their software to rely on it in the future. More corporate greed that I do not want to contribute to if I can help it. So long TaxACT!

I have used TaxACT for the better part of a decade to file my taxes for the ease of use and low cost. This year I go to file my taxes and the numbers that were owed/returned made NO SENSE at all. I restart to find I get completely different numbers??? I figure it must be an error on my part. Enter the EXACT same info again and get another number varying by nearly $1000.00 dollars this time. For posterity purposes I go through H&R block which I have used to help family members file with before. I get almost exactly what I owed/Refunded last year through TaxAct on my first try. This is the last time I will ever try to save a bit of money through TaxAct online. H&R Block from now on for me. God forbid I actually filed the return with TaxAct where they said I got a $1755.00 return from the state I paid NO taxes in but was a resident of.

They lied. I've used this company for the past several years. Never paid over $19.99. I've never had a problem. They always advertised this price to me. This year I've been bombarded with emails advertising 'FREE'. I got excited. Once I finished not only wasn't it free but I paid more this year than I've ever paid, $49.99. What happened!? How could they advertise 'free' and it costs more than it’s ever had? I will not be using them ever again. I'm disappointed. They were not honest! Don't use them. *fraud alert*

TaxACT deliberately attempts to confuse you in tax filing process. Thought I was filing my Federal taxes, clicked on Federal Taxes only button, but they ran me through the state return and charged me $24.99 to file a state tax return When NOTHING WAS OWED to the state. What a ripoff! They are scamming now.

Other than the bait and switch, which is amply documented here and with which I wholeheartedly agree, there is one huge process within TaxACT which completely drops the ball. After getting advice on a topic, TaxACT does NOT jump to the item!!! They give you advice, they point to the federal instructions, they even give you the line on the federal form, but that's now how TA is built! You are left navigating through endless pages to try to figure out where your input lives. How extraordinary that they have left this out.

There are no words I can add than those already said. This is a scam like no other. No customer service. Can't reach them by phone. Program sucks! I'm also going to put in a complaint with the BBB. I hope TaxACT and the people who own it rot in hell.

First, they have jacked up the price. Now they are charging almost $50 for both Federal and State, which was a surprise. Second, their software is buggy. During the filing process - just before e-filing they ask you to enter the verification code that is displayed on the screen. I did that 30 times - typing exactly what was displayed. Each time it gave me an error saying my entry did not match what was on the screen. I tried the option where you can get it to speak the code. Typed that in and the same result.

I have used TaxACT successfully since 2008, first as an employee itemizing deductions and figuring out capital gains, and then as a small business owner. It's always been complicated and easy to get lost in the screens, but I have always felt that the combined user experience and cost were a good value. Not anymore. Last year I paid $22. The state return was included, as it should be -- because they don't help guide you through anything specific to state. This year I was directed into their Premium offering because I owned a business, and it cost me $60, with the state return costing $25 yet still no guidance in filling in the state-specific form.

Worked on it very early today. Got to the file return page, after not being able to see anything that was added to the 1040A or my state return. Just before I was told something was missing, added the information, review again still thought the information was missing (is my house a homestead). All of a sudden told, we are doing maintenance, exit. No idea if the returns were filed.

I have been using TaxACT for years to do mine and other's taxes with no issues whatsoever. This year I have had nothing but issues. The first two at the beginning of tax season, I did went through fairly easy. I tried to do two today and several times throughout the process I was told I would need to upgrade for the most ridiculous seeming reasons. The only difference between these two sets of taxes and the earlier set was 1099 forms. One for unemployment and one for a small $28 state refund from 2013. The one for unemployment they wanted $29.99 to be able to file since it wasn't eligible for the 1040 EZ. Then when direct depositing the refund it wanted an additional $24.99 each for Fed & State from a secondary bank!!

It's sad to see corporate greed taking over tax preparation software: first TurboTax and now TaxACT. I will be researching other options for next year.

I've used them before, not sure how I was charged $24.99 x 2 (State and Fed) at the end of the whole process, this year: the last year I will use them. Apparently, I was using the "plus" version... which is unnecessary and means nothing to me as I do nothing but standard deductions - nothing itemized. Just threw away a third of my refund.

If I could give TaxAct no stars I would, cause they don't deserve it. I am not going to stay here and write what others have already wrote. I agree with most of the reviews. STAY AWAY from TaxAct. All they want is your money. I e-filed my tax returns for $39.99, both returns were rejected and TaxAct said not to worry that my card will only be charged if my return is accepted. Few days later I notice that TaxAct charged my card the moment I e-filed it and was rejected. Now I have been trying to call their customer service since early March and I can't get hold of anyone. I will definitely be filing a complaint with BBB.

Worst experience ever! What a scam they are. Simple, bait you in with free, and then charge, charge, charge!! Don't use this company!!! I filed on a 1040. First time it stated I owed over $2100 to the feds. I thought this could not be right, so I did it again, punching in the same numbers and ended up owing $1100!!! What the hell, how the hell can there be that big of a discrepancy??? I have no faith in this service and you shouldn't either!!! AVOID, AVOID, AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. I actually talked to someone who does taxes about my experience, and before I could even tell them my experience they said "don't ever use that service." AVOID, AVOID, AVOID.

OMG, this is the worst bait and switch lousy lame ** tax program on the internet. So, pissed, right, now. No support, you can do all this yourself, They bait and switch on the site. Pop ups switch you to a different price point mid return without your knowledge. They ruined my day. I hate them for all the capitalistic ** that is ruining our health and our world. May they rot in hell. This means your employees too Tax Act is poison - ** Tax Act.

My return is relatively simple, with W-2 income, mutual funds, a 401K distribution, and itemized deductions. I was a longtime TurboTax customer but quit them when they doubled the price of the software last year. Then, this year, I could no longer access a HRB account due to username/password hassles with no way to remedy them after 2 hours of trying, so I tried TaxAct. The interview is simple, there are dummy forms to fill in the DIV and Capital gains information. It is relatively hard to review your return before paying the $25 fee, as there are no "form views." Because of this, I made a small error in reporting CG dividends, my first error in many years.

TaxAct has changed its software. It's no longer easy to make changes. Customer service rep stated that if you are a homeowner, then Tax Act automatically prompts you to upgrade to their $24.99 upgrade, which essentially nullifies the 'free' tax filing service that Tax Act advertises to be. No resolution to refund upgrade. To add insult to injury, upgraded service defaulted to standard deductions, so time wasted in preparing taxes in a meaningful & sufficient manner.

I have already filed both my 2015 Fed and State taxes using TaxACT and received Accepted confirmations from both. But when I just now tried to log back in (trying to download my returns to my hard drive), it asked if I want to "Continue from where I left off"? When I click on it, system starts with Filing Tab meaning I have go through all the steps of filling and paying the fees, etc, and it means TaxACT think I have NOT done my filing, therefore there is returns for me to download. If I don't click on "Continue from where I left" instead I click on "View All Returns", it led me to same place with options of "Continue from where I Left off" or "View All Returns".

All the folks who've already reviewed and said TaxACT has changed, and not for the better? I wish I'd seen this before I went to my ole' trusty site and started my 2015 taxes. Worst. Experience. Ever. Yes, they've tried to streamline tips and info recently, and I agree that they've gone from useful to mostly useless in doing so. I mean, taxes, especially when you have a sole proprietorship and other things going on, are supposed to be complicated, right? That wasn't what I hated. What I hated was the fact that I got taken. I mean, I'm used to being upsold, and I don't mind it. "Hey, we see this feature might benefit you, so if you'd like to upgrade, it's $25" is what TaxACT has always been like. That's just like everybody else's take on upselling, too. Don't expect to file a "free" tax form and not be enticed to pay something for something.

I've used TaxACT in the past and had a good experience. Filing taxes for 2015 has been an exhausting nightmare. Terrible problems with signing in. Keeps telling me that I am using the wrong user name/password -I'm using the correct one. Can't get through on the help line. Definitely not going this way next year unless system us upgraded.

I've used TaxACT for 4 years to file Form 1040 and Schedule A for FREE. This year they pulled the "bait and switch" maneuver. If you want to file Schedule A (Itemized Deductions) - it's no longer included for free. I discovered this after entering information and trying to proceed with filing. That's when the fee was disclosed for using itemized deduction instead of standard deduction. Very frustrating and I refuse to cave in and pay it. Now I'm trying free fillable forms (linked from IRS site).

I used TaxACT for many years and liked it. I always used the paid version and installed it on my PC. This year, the first clue that something was up was the price increase -- double what it had been in previous years -- and the necessity of buying a more advanced version if you have investments. And, you had to create a new account. Still, after so many years of using it, I trusted -- WRONG!

I have problems with this company every year when it comes time to file. Now, 2015, they charge $25 for fed and $25 for state. I have been on hold for over an hour trying to find out how to paper file the federal and e-file NY (which is required in NY). It's impossible to do. TaxACT took both filing fees and even my NY tax due... but I can't e-file. This is the WORST company and not user friendly. And forget phone support. The first person had NO idea how to e-file. State only... Now I am on hold again! It's the worst and they should be shut down.

I had no problems with TaxACT for two years. This year however I selected the option that said they would simply deduct their small fee from my refund. When I got all the way down to the final pages, a summary of what had just gone through showed more than $30 paid to a bank I never heard of. They charge that just to handle the deduction. Goodbye TaxACT. Never again.

I have to agree with the rest of these reviews. After using TaxACT free for many (8+) years I was highly pleased with the ability to quickly enter my info and spit out the needed forms to mail to the IRS, all at no charge. For 2015, TaxAct has made a horrible, horrible mistake by forcing normal users who need to file a standard 1040 form (A 1040, for Heaven's sake! The IRS's primary, most basic document!) - or even print a hard copy of their return - to cough up $30 to "upgrade to TaxAct Plus". That they prominently highlight the phrase "Free Federal Edition" at the top of every page makes this even more deceptive, bordering on a scam.

I began using TaxACT several years ago and thought it was an okay deal. Last year they almost completely screwed up my taxes and I just discovered they billed me for this year's edition and believe me, I will never use them again.

TaxAct is listed on the IRS website as a "free file" preparer for those who qualify. This is the second year I've used them for my son, who is a student. If someone who makes $10k a year can't file for free then no one can. Last year it cost me $25 and this year it was $50. The whole procedure is nothing but trying to get you to purchase add-ons. I will absolutely not use them again.

Advertised as free, far from it for a simple college student return. Way easier to do it manually. Asked for my money back...doubt it will happen.

I've used TaxACT Online for the last several years. It used to be fairly easy to correct errors as you progressed. You could go back and they would be corrected across the platform. I was helping my son file his taxes, he doesn't have lots of money. This year, I was forced to upgrade to a product that cost twice what I should have paid, simply because at one point I said "yes" when I should have said "no" on the state tax return questions. Although I tried multiple times to correct that, it would not allow me to complete the process without upgrading to a higher cost product that wasn't needed. Ripping off those who can least afford it!

After reading many of the other reviews on here, I felt I needed to provide my experience. I have been using TaxACT for more than 7 years and have not ever experienced a problem with the online version itself. The IRS has changed tax laws over the years which has delayed e-filing, certain form availability, etc. But no matter how you file your taxes that would be the case because that is the IRS. The IRS did do a significant overhaul on some tax laws for tax year 2015 which did cause some delays this year as well as issues with the people who filed right away in January and early February. Again, IRS issues. I file Schedule C (so not 1040EZ) and have found that TaxACT is much easier than any other online option out there. If you follow the steps and put your information in correctly, you should have no problems.

Poor product and you pay for printing! This is a product service that you pay for everything. It starts off with a lower amount, but by the time the federal and state are completed, this program costs as much as other expensive programs out there. This is my LAST YEAR with TaxACT. Never again with them.

I used TaxACT software last year for the first time. The Federal return is fairly easy but the state return information transfer is horrible. I called their support people and was told I needed to open a ticket. A week later I reached out to ask why I hadn't been contacted and they told me they couldn't help me. As others have said, you can't access the entire return and every time you want to print out a form for review there seems to be another cost to do so. I'm done with these guys. Save yourself the aggravation, stay away from these guys and buy some good tax software.

Impossible to view IRS forms displaying my data other than main form 1040. This is an important review step. Very cumbersome multistep process to complete if you need to proceed out of their prescribed order. Navigation is weak. Every time I spend time looking for inputs in my records, TaxACT logs me out of program. Very frustrating. And the password requirement is ridiculous.

I've used TaxAct before, but it's changed this year and not for the better. It's difficult to get out of any section's "Q&A" process once you're started. So, if you decide halfway through a section that you'd rather exit and then enter data directly into the form (instead of via Q&A), good luck! And, at several spots, I was prompted to revisit the "Federal Q&A." You would think maybe those word would have been linked to that section, but no, and it wasn't intuitive where that section was. I kept looking for "Q&A" under the "Federal" tab, but there wasn't a link or subtab, or even a header with "Q&A" in it. I eventually realized the "Q&A" section was the content itself residing on the main "Federal" tab's page.

It was impossible to review any copies of my tax return, which was very frustrating. You can only do sections and never view the entire return. It's like considered top security information when you are paying for it. I'm no longer going to use this site. I was happy with it for a few years, but it all changed this year for the worst! In retrospect, I should have read these reviews first.

NOT FREE!!! Compared to TURBOTAX, TaxACT is slow, cumbersome, inaccurate, and expensive. TaxACT filled out an unneeded Fed form and would not continue without $15 payment, which I foolishly paid. Wanted $30 to e-file Fed and State. When I tried to print my state form TaxACT wanted $15! At that point, I quit and switched to TURBOTAX which was EASY and FREE. Took half the time to go through questions and forms. NO bogus Fed form either! E-filing was quick and easy. Easily printed forms for paper file and saved copies to Googledrive. I will NEVER use TAXACT again.

My situation is so similar to all of the above. I've used TaxACT for many, many years. I'm not a professional. I just prepare for my son, mom, spouse, and another relative. The pricing structure this year is not only higher (ok I could live with some of that), but also HIGHLY DECEPTIVE! It started with a simple 1040 for my mom: $9.99. The when I went for my son's simple 1040, another $9.99. Frustrated I just needed to get mine done and lick my wounds and found that, since my return included a very minor schedule C, I had to pay an additional $24.99 to upgrade to "Plus." Ripoff artists. They will never get another penny from me. They should change their name to TaxScamAct.

I have used TaxACT for years -- was fairly satisfied. But this year they had to get greedy. I am DONE with them forever. There was always a basic free filing option for 1040 forms. NO longer! They insist on a $25 fee now AFTER you have entered all your info. The IRS should investigate this shabby outfit. DISGRACEFUL and a huge waste of my time. Now I have to start ALL OVER again with a more reputable company. Hope they go bankrupt.

Last year I used the website which took hours to login and when I wanted to log back in had to reset my password several times, which happened again this year. I paid for fed and state just to have the state return not go through which meant I had to resend state return in late. This year I paid for both again and I am still waiting for the state refund 6 weeks later. Try to login to see the status of refund but again cannot get through and don't even try to find a number to call a real person to try to clear up the problem. Instead this year I got a letter from the IRS saying I owe them money when I had gotten a refund through TaxAct. I'm done with them. I'll find another tax preparer next year. Website is a rip-off.

I agree with everything that has been said in reviews here. I have used TaxAct for many years and have always been satisfied. They have revised their online program and it is just horrible. I had so much trouble signing in. They have you check I AM NOT A ROBOT and then show you small images that are hardly discernible and you have to click on pictures. It keeps signing you out, and they made the program so user-unfriendly and VERY SLOW. It took me several more hours to do my Federal than previous years. I paid the $19.99 for Federal, which was okay. They tell you to submit Federal before submitting State. So I did Federal first, and little did I know that they would want to charge me an ADDITIONAL $19.99. This is outrageous and very deceptive. I will never again use TaxAct to do my taxes. I am very disappointed with this company!

Because of the way they ask a certain question, I got a credit. Yeah... Right?... No. Now I find I am not eligible for the credit. I have to amend my 2015, and pay back 2014 and 2013. I am pissed. T. A. cost me time and money. They asked if I had a family member living with me? I said "Yes", they gave me an EIC credit. They should have asked, "Do you have a family member living with you under the age of X?"

I have used TaxAct for the last 8 or 9 years. This was one of the free options for filing the Federal forms. This year, they are charging for anything other than a 1040EZ type situation. Have expenses/income for being self employed (sole proprietor), you have to upgrade to basic for $30. Want to itemize deductions, you have to upgrade to the basic for $30. Both these have been included in the past. I just abandoned at that point, because as far as I am concerned this is not "free" Federal filing. They even sent me an email saying both the Federal and state were free filing. I will either find another that allows those items, or I will go the old fashioned route and send in the mail.

I have found using TaxACT this year. The most difficult program to use this year. It is so frustrating. There is no easy way to sign in to the program. Clicking on robot box then clicking on all images with mountains drives me mad. The images are so unclear. If I am wrong more images appear and I have click again. If I am right then my password and username combination is invalid. Then I have to reset my password. This happens each time!! I have been using TaxACT for years and have never had such problems. I will never use again.

I have used this program for 12+ years. I loved it. Till this year. Too many ads, quit responding and quit in the middle of a couple returns. Very long load times. Not a happy camper. And when I say NO to a question--DON'T ask the rest of them anyways. Now I can't open a PDF copy, says permission denied. What's that about??? I don't use the online version either, I always buy and download it and keep files local.

I've been using TaxACT Online for about four years now. I've always been pleased with their simple, honest pricing and comprehensive service. Cut to this year, 2016, where I'm filing for 2015. I see that the price has been raised exponentially to $20. Oh well, I think, that's fair. Prices go up over time. So I file my federal return -- no sweat. Then I go to file my state return and they suddenly ask for ANOTHER $20. This was very deceptively structured so that they already had my $20 and basically fooled me into thinking I was covered for state, as well, though that wasn't included. So they hosed me.

It took me almost all day to complete the questions. For some reason once I entered my W-2 it said I owed $4,126 and never changed. I am a low-income person and never have to pay. For some reason it added some misc tax on other taxes #11-Uncollected social security and Medicare on tips and insurance form W-2 for 4526.00. This is not on my W-2, and I tried to delete this, but there was no option. I thought it would change once we got to deductions but it did not. I printed the return and found this additional tax that does not apply to me. I went to TurboTax and had my return done in about 30 minutes. I will never waste my time with TaxACT again, even if it is free. Terrible experience. Please do not waste your time.

This is going to end of my use of TaxAct. It used to be a cheaper solution to TurboTax. It's not only because of the $40 fees for direct deposit. They also playing around with the pricing. They don't honor discount for continuous users and the pricing is jumping around to confuse you. Basically, other than a GUI, there is nothing special about this software compare to the old paper worksheets. If I pay TurboTax premier then it will calculate my ESPP and RSU accordingly. I paid $20 for TaxAct but I have to calculate by myself for the cost bases of my stocks. Somehow the price hop matches their prediction of 3x profit this year. Well, I would say goodbye to TaxAct.

I have used TaxAct for several years for free, since in Texas there is no state income tax. This year, I completed all the data entry only to be told it would cost me $19.99 to file with itemized deductions. My other option was to take the standard deduction at a loss. Boo, hiss!! I copied my totals from the (non-printable) forms and transferred it to the truly free ones at freefillableforms.com. I will not support a company which deals with its customers in this deceptive manner. There should have been something upfront stating what exactly you get with the free version.

I have used TaxAct (basic) for seven years. I didn't realize how much I took it for granted... until this year. Doing my taxes used to be a breeze, they aren't very complex to begin with, but it was a couple of hours at most. This year was so stressful. Every time there was an update, the shortcut/icon and program executable would get wiped out. I had to re-install the program every time there was an update. (no virus protection was running when I was down-loading the updates, and original install I had full admin perms). The navigation and prompts were not as easy to follow as the previous years, and I also got pop-ups saying I need to buy-up to the deluxe version to complete my filing.

Save your money. There is no phone service. Waited 2 days and no answer. Kept saying they were busy. VERY expensive. Put items in my account that were NEVER entered by me. If you use them, call your credit card company and refuse to pay.

I will never use TaxACT again. I did the taxes for my friend, a Native American potter with a very small little pottery business. The input on Schedule C was minimal, yet I was charged their full fee for it - as if it was a huge business with use of home, etc - for it though we were never charged in the past. FREE software indeed!

I have been a returning customer with TaxAct for over 7 years. This year, every time I log in, the website states username and password is incorrect. I call customer service and wait on hold. The website refuses to acknowledge the correct username and password each and every time I log in. Very FRUSTRATING! If this continues, I will NEVER use TaxAct again.

I have been satisfied using TaxACT for a number of years, but in 2016, the product has taken a major downturn. Only after entering your basic information in the free edition do you learn that you can not enter data for forms such as itemized deductions which in past years were available. Then, attempting to upgrade to the required "Plus" edition is a nightmare of confusion with no explanation, ultimately leading to the option of importing last year's tax income information with the warning that this will result in the loss of all entered data! Meanwhile I see they have lied to me, that as a prior customer I get a 20% discount but the "discounted" price is exactly the standard price. A VERY POOR EXPERIENCE WITH A COMPANY I USED TO RECOMMEND. I will never use this product again.

I tried to input dependent information but I cannot. Customer service is very bad. No one there to answer to your questions.

This is an update on the issue I had with Taxact. I was able to resolve the issue after exchanging a few emails with their customer service. Somehow there were two accounts with the same email. Not sure how this is possible. Nevertheless, they deleted the redundant/unknown account and I was eventually able to file my 2015 tax returns with Taxact. Did not see any issues after the duplicate account was closed

After reviewing the complaints against TaxACT this year (2016), I felt I should add my thoughts. I have used TaxACT for the past 9 or so years. Great program, easy to navigate, very satisfied for the past years. However this year, navigating through the program was more difficult. Can't seem to log in with my previous log-in and password, as I have done in the past. What change!? They need to go back to the way it was in previous years. Also note the prices have increased. Don't mind paying the higher price, if the product worked as it did in previous years. Did manage to complete my taxes, but it was not as smooth as in the past. Now searching for other sites to do my taxes next year.

I received an email for a free return just to be charged 40.00 at the end of the process. I filed with them in previous years and qualified for a free federal return. They charged me 19.99 for the federal and 19.99 for the state. They are really lying and ripping off consumers with their false advertising.

I have been using TaxAct without any issues since last 4 years, and have been recommending this to all my friends. This year, surprisingly they are charging $19.99 for Federal which used to be free until last year. They also increased State filing charges to $19.99 which used to be $15.99 until last year. Regardless, I went ahead with the tax filing as it has been piece of cake for me using TaxAct, and you know what - first they have introduced so many clicks and redundancy in the software this time, I was getting irritated clicking through. And then my efile for both Federal and State are rejected. I have tried 5-6 times fixing the errors as suggested by TaxAct mails but that has not helped. When I tried to call their customer service, those numbers don't connect at all. I wonder if it is fraud service this year???

Tried all morning to continue inputting my return data. Can't get to my information or get any help, or even get contact information for TaxACT. I have been satisfied in the past. So what is happening?

I work as a Technical manager and found this application to be difficult to use. In previous years, I used TurboTax and H&R Block and had decent experiences, so chose this due to a slightly better price. WHAT A HORRIBLE CHOICE! After spending an hour reversing an answer that was buried in a place that was hard to find (and was going to cost me ~$800 if I didn't find it), I made my final changes and was ready to file. At the filing step, the pricing didn't match the promotional pricing for being a first time user. I logged out and went back to the site where I found the original promo and selected it again. I logged in and now had 2 returns. I opened one of them and saw it was blank, so I deleted it. I then went to the other return and it was also blank! So, I now have no return and need to start from scratch!

I have used TaxAct for the past four years. I have been very satisfied in the past. Like most other reviews, I was surprised at the end of the input phase that the only way that I could file was to upgrade. Last year for exactly the same forms the Federal filing was free... This year, $19.99. Last year the state filing was $14.99. This year $19.99. There seems to be more pop-ups for upgrades this year, which is a nuisance to navigate through. This year you also have to enter duplicate information when getting an auto deposit for both federal and state. State address input on most of the screens don't function well. Will be using another source next year... so much for "FREE"...

OMG - I have used TaxAct for the last six years. I am 79 and have no tax liability since 2009 when my husband died. I found it "a piece of cake" to use. However, today I pulled my 2014 tax file, assembled all the required information; set up a new password, etc. and had trouble, trouble, trouble! Could not import last year's info; was locked out several times; and experienced other problems like I just read about on this site... After 3 hours I thought I was losing my mind!!! When I couldn't see whether or not I had a tax liability for the year I was unwilling to put in my credit card information and figured I would have to return another day.

Upon a recommendation from a co-worker I use this site instead of going to my tax guy. Granted the program seemed easy to use, however when it came time to getting my refund I didn't get it. The IRS confirmed that my refund was sent to my back 2/24/2016, waited more than a week and a half no refund. Called the bank, the funds were not sent, the IRS (yes the funds were sent on 2/24/2016). Called the customer service not only were they rude and argued with me that they won't help. Called their "Republic Bank" can't get a live person.

Customer service has not responded to any of my inquiries regarding my inability to log-in to my account. I am trying to get copies of my filed 2015 returns. It appears after TaxAct has received their payment I have been left out to dry. All I get from TaxAct is that I need to change my password. When I change my password it creates another file for another return to be filed. I have sent TaxAct all the pertinent responses regarding the original account: email, last four digits of social and a security question but I get no assistance.

I have used TaxAct for several years without any incident. This year, I have experienced many glitches in progressing forward with the program. I was doing my son's return which only needed to be an EZ form and while entering information, a pop up appeared suggesting that I would need to upgrade based on the information that I wanted to enter. He made no contributions nor does he own property but I just wanted to complete this process so I said Yes to the upgrade. Well they upgraded me to the Plus plan instead of the Basic (which I didn't know until I was finished entering my credit card information) and I was charged $39.95 for the Federal and State return. I'm furious. Be cautious when progressing through this scam of a program. I also tried calling customer service as I was now a preferred customer and the phone was not in service!

I filed my taxes with TaxAct in previous years and was well satisfied this year. I filed my taxes in the Middle of January 2016 and they were accepted the next day. 10 days later I received my state refund and a month later after contacting the IRS about federal I was informed by the IRS that all my necessary EIC documentation was NOT submitted by TaxAct and that I would now need to wait 2-3 weeks for a letter from the IRS then paper file my EIC at my local office and then after that I would receive my refund in 2-4 weeks. I am still waiting for the letter from the IRS and when I contacted TaxAct customer service the only thing they could advise was that I contact a local tax professional in my local area. UNBELIEVABLE!!! I will never use the TaxAct service again.

Really disappointed with the product compared to how it worked and its pricing for the past several years. It used to be $12.95 for a federal return with any of the forms or schedules you needed. Now, after you spend hours inputting data, you get to the end of a section and get a message saying, "oh, that will be another $5 or $10 upgrade if you want to file that form." I won't be using this product again--I'm not sure what other hidden fees or charges are likely to pop up if I try to file within this year--I can't find any of the fees or charges listed on their site. And their pricing materials are misleading--it doesn't tell you for example that you can't even file a Schedule C UNLESS you pay the highest price ($29.95 in my case). The product is no better than it was last year--no improvements that I can see, so it's hard to stomach the increased pricing and being so misled.

I've used TaxACT in previous years because it was an economical way to file and relatively simple. This year based on its advertising it was $14.99 to file but NO! When I went to check out and file, the cost came up as $51.90! There was an additional state tax filing fee of $14.99 and a fee to directly deposit the refund into my savings account through Republic Bank if I wanted to deduct the fees from my return. What a scam. I'd rather refile with a more reputable site and spend additional time recreating my return than pay these scammers. This is bogus TaxACT!

I have been using TaxAct for the last 4 years with no problems. Last night and today I am not able to login to my account to work on my return. I get the message "Hang In There" which never goes away. I actually got someone on the phone and after 1 hour they are not able to tell me what the problem is. I told him I would have to use TurboTax and start over with my tax return and he said okay.

I did my first son's taxes and since he had stock sales the price was $14.99 for fed and $14.99 for state which was fine. I did my next son's taxes with the same info and the cost was $19.99 for fed and $19.99 for state. Why??? Who knows?

I have been using TaxAct for past nine years and never had any issue. This year I tried to contact customer service for several times but each time they kept me on hold for more than an hour - until I finally hang up. Unfortunately it seems they changed their customer policy which will definitely make me think twice before I purchase this software next year. Also, running this software (download version) is much slower than in previous years, not sure why?!

I have used TAXACT for several years and have always been pleased with the ease of use and the results. This year, I noticed a dramatic difference. Several times during the Efile process I got "thrown back" to an initial start screen (for no reason) and had difficulties getting back to where I was. At one point, I had submitted partial VISA card information (for which I wanted to charge what I owed the I.R.S.) and got tossed back to the beginning. Because of this, I had to start the Efile process all over again.

TaxACT has two very different products. TaxACT that you download onto your computer; a 5 star product. TaxACT ONLINE; I would give this product ZERO stars. I have used TaxACT downloaded to my computer for the past two years and thought it a great program. When I went to get it this year the website steered to the ONLINE version; so I struggled for days and many hours without success. It said I owed the IRS tens of thousands and I didn't know why. I gave up and downloaded TaxACT to my computer. It has a totally different interface and it is so clear and understandable. I reentered all of the data and was through in about two hours; and I owe a lot less, about 7cents on the dollar.

I have used TaxACT to file my and my husband taxes for the last several years and was happy. My husband passed away this last year so I followed their instructions to file a joint return with a deceased husband and my return was rejected. I was at such a loss as to why it was rejected that I called and a very nice woman walked me through the return and we resubmitted it and it was again rejected.She told me my only option was to file a paper return which obviously I have to do. I could have done this without paying them and I am extremely upset that I went through all the work on their site which was not clear if you have something unusual as the death of a spouse. I moved during the past year so I paid them for 2 state returns and the federal returns that I now have to file by paper. Very upsetting. It seems that the site works fine until you have something different like the death of a spouse and then they are of no use.

I have used TaxACT for several years, and have been very pleased with it---not at all the case this year. The program is very glitchy. It doesn't seem to recognize when I've entered things---it sends me back to previous pages. When I logged back in to pick up where I left off yesterday, it didn't work. It took me right back to the beginning. The guided process that seemed to work so well in the past, is not working well this year. I haven't contacted their customer service and probably won't, based on the other negative reviews I'm seeing. Other tax programs are rated higher than this one, and I will likely go with one of the competitors products.

Never use TaxACT. Customer service is horrible. The amount it said I was getting back never happened. I've been on hold as I'm writing this for 45 mins, all around horrible. I will never use them again. I used TurboTax last year and had no problems. Thought I would try something new and went with TaxACT and regretted it!

When trying to enter my IRS PIN, I hit 'Continue' and a blank box pops up with an X at the upper right. I looked for support to inform or get help via phone and there is no working phone number. I wasted 2 days trying to file with them then went to another site. They also seem to sneak in a $12.99 fee. Advertised as free.

All the basics are good, but sometimes the questions can lead you unwittingly down complex paths and forms that you don't need to fill out. This is one of the less expensive tax prep applications, but it works very well and is always improving every year. Very easy to use and it allows you to either fill in your forms directly or guided. I've never noticed anything unsecure resulting from using the site. It will log out if I'm idle too long and although that's annoying at times, it makes it very secure. The good thing is that it remembers where you left off at log-out so you don't have to retrace a bunch of steps. You can amend your return using this software now. It's fairly new and you have to still print the forms and mail as there is no eFile for amendments, but you no longer have to do them by hand.

They have links that pop up as you're doing your taxes to expanded explanations of the information you need, paperwork you'll need and the information you'll need to take certain deductions. They prepare state and federal returns at the same time, the fed return is free to file, so I would file fed first, pay for the state when I got my refund. Worked for me. They also keep your files on their servers so you don't have to worry about losing the info. Love that! Didn't have to finish at a single sitting. Could enter W-2s as they came in, save and finish up when I was ready. They have easy to understand explanations for each line available, worksheets to check eligibility for some deductions and credits. No problems that I'm aware of and I used them for the last 8 years before my retirement, still check by filling out a return every couple of years to double check if I have a tax liability on my retirement income.

The software is very accurate based on your answers to the questions they ask. However, their "side bar" is not that easy to understand. I originally ordered the basic tax package. However, when I got ready to efile the return, it wouldn't allow me to file. I was forced to upgrade to the next level. I was totally incensed that they had not been more forthcoming about the descriptions of each program offered. Program is a little unwieldy in my opinion. It's a little hard to navigate and get back to a point you want to review without going through the entire interview process again. I shortcutted that procedure by clicking on the form flag beside the amount I wanted to review. Because I am super cautious about personal info, I download the program onto my desktop. I have had no breaches in past years with transmitting my return through the program.

After using Tax Act for 10 years I am through with it this year. After spending 2 hours on a complicated tax return, the pages stopped loading. I kept getting a "processing" screen that stayed blank. When I closed my browser and signed back in I got the same screen only this one said "finding a secure server." I'm not sure my return will be there if and when I finally can get back on, but if it isn't I will be starting over with Turbo Tax. Also, they trick you into thinking the fee is the same as last year (federal free, state 14.99). However it says 14.99 in large print and state-extra in fine print so the fee is actually doubled. The "phone support" is another issue. It is only during "business hours", not when most people are home working on their taxes.

I've been using TaxAct a number of years with no complaint. A couple of weeks ago, I logged in and did my taxes. Went in today to finalize them and file, and it wouldn't let me into my account. After several failed attempts, it locked me out. It didn't ask me any security questions. It didn't send me a verification code. There's no way for me to reset it. I've been on telephone hold forever, and I've been on "chat" hold forever. I feel like I'm their hostage. Never, ever, ever again, TaxAct. Thanks for nothing.

After using TaxACT for the last eight years, in 2016 it was a "D" class experience. After spending several hours navigating and finally completing TaxACT 2016 less than user-friendly program and proceeding to e-file only to learn that the system denied the advertised free Federal filing! TaxACT is only allowing income filers at or below a certain gross income, the free Federal tax filings but they didn't convey that information to its users until after they had completed the work. Everybody who isn't at or below their income threshold are immediately routed to the cost of fees for Federal e-filing long form.

I'm so upset with TaxACT. They advertised this right on their website: "Plus: Best for itemized returns, homeowners and investors $14.99." "Fast, easy, free tax filing Prepare, print and e-file your simple federal and state (1040EZ/A) for FREE." So, I complete the entire thing, thinking I could e-file for $14.99. I go through a series of accepting terms & agreements based on the e-file fee. AFTER I accept, I'm given my receipt with this itemization:

I had always been pleased with online TaxAct software and had not had any complaints for the last 6-7 years until this year, 2015. I used to be able to chat with TaxAct customer service as well as contacting them by phone for a refund. But now, calling or chatting online with TaxAct is no longer available so I had to resort to emailing TaxAct customer service. They do respond to me but there is always wrong information given in their emails. I filed my 2013 taxes last April 2015 with my username and email but TaxAct say that information is not what they have for my records. So why am I able to go into my 2013 return that I paid for 2 years of data archives with the same username and the email I gave them. I know this because I had to change my 2013 password and TaxAct sent me an email to that same email I told them I had so that I could change my password.

I am glad to see that I have not just lost my mind and that others are having the same issues this year. I have used TaxACT for the last 8 years with no problems. I know that they charge for e-filing state returns and that is fine, but this year $19.95. Really and of course as others have stated do not see that till the very end when you are expecting 14.95 for state e-filing only. I have told so many people about this site and now I am feeling bad and hope none of them took my advice. If they did I am sure they will question me next time. Very disappointed.

TaxACT doesn't seem to prepare tax forms for non-residents, but they don't say that anywhere. I entered a lot of info then realized they had a Georgia amount due listed. I don't and never have lived in Georgia. Sent emails about the GA return and why the amount for ACA was included/how to get it off since there was no telephone number, and no response. Apparently this program isn't going to work, have used turbotax in the past, not thrilled, so will try H&R Block I guess. At least I didn't pay anything.

I have used TaxAct for 10 years - never any trouble. This year has been horrible - I have tried to call numerous times for help constantly busy. Have emailed everywhere for help and no one responds. They tell you they will get back to you in 1-2 days! Really? What kind of online help is this? There is something showing up on my completed return (a casualty loss of $130) that I did not put on there and cannot for the life of me figure out how to remove it. I checked under casualty loss and there are no figures there. Does anybody have a number that TaxAct answers? Does anyone know where I can find this $130 popping up that is incorrect? I would appreciate you letting me know - **! Next Year TURBOTAX! (And obviously TaxAct does not care as I have even emailed the sales office and public relations - no one responds!)

I have used TaxACT to file my federal and state for several years now and have had no issue until this year. They are now limiting free service to 1040EZ/A forms and are charging $14.99 to access the 1040 long form. They then charge additional to file state. In the past they sold their service on information retention and populating fields from the prior year. This year you have to pay a premium for information population to occur... Again, this had always been a free service. TaxACT is of no value to me at this point. I will not continue my service with them this year which is a shame because they had an excellent product, but it's nothing that I can't find elsewhere.

I have been a customer of TaxACT for approximately 3 years. I had small problems before with establishing if filing had been successful. This year has and is still a nightmare. I have been working for 3 days now and still don't know if I have been successful in the filing of my taxes. Yes, I have asked questions and used a lot of paper and ink printing the answers (How to know if your return has been filed etc.). Allow me to give you some events for the last 3 days. First, as a return filer I was required to complete all my basic information although it referred to my 2014 Taxes Import.

I unfortunately feel glad that I'm not alone with my views on this company. I am in the same boat as the others. My story is the same. I've used TaxACT as an alternative to TurboTax/TaxSlayer etc... And man it is time to walk away. I hardly ever post reviews on the Internet, but if time is money (which it is)... Then it will actually cost you double to use TaxACT. Look up whatever they want to charge you then double it.

Last year I used this service - no problem. This year, I went to file my state returns and it said TaxACT was not given permission to file them. This is already mid February, and the error message was about a C Corp. I have an S Corp. SO you can imagine I thought something was messed up. So I tried calling their phone number and got a busy signal. Then I tried for the next two hours over and over, getting through and getting dropped...

I am having problems with my IRS PIN too, I tried 5 times using the instructions from the IRS. Followed the instructions, entered my PIN, and the same results "IRS has rejected my PIN". Something is not right. IRS system gives me the same PIN.

I've used Taxact for years. I've always liked it. Until this year. I will not use it again. When I started my return this year, it wouldn't remember any info I had entered and had to start over each time. I had to pay to use forms that I've never had to pay for to use. It has been breached multiple times this year, with other filters I know having their ss # stolen and saying the IRS has already received a return for that #. Online help or otherwise is nonexistent. Just terrible this year. Sorry to say I now have to get used to new tax software.

I saw that TaxACT advertised "free" Federal and State tax filing software. When I went to do my taxes there was a $14.99 charge probably because I had 1 schedule to do. I thought the $14.99 was for both Federal and State but after I paid the $14.99 there was another charge for $14.99 for State. Most products will charge for State, but not for both. I will never use this company again. Ripoff.

I've used and have been satisfied with TaxAct since 2008. However this year was DIFFERENT. First of all the same product that I paid $12.95 for had jumped to 29.95, and then after spending 2.5 hours entering my taxes when it got to the point to enter information on Schedule C it said I needed to upgrade. Called TaxACT to see what the deal was and was on hold for over an hour! Then the rep said that I needed to upgrade to "Premium?" If that wasn't bad enough AFTER upgrading it DOES NOT ALLOW you to enter job related expenses into Form 2106. When it asks if you want to enter vehicle mileage and then just skips right over it.

I have used and help my friends and family in the past 10 years in using to file their income taxes for free (Federal) and this year I noticed that it is no longer free if you Itemized and have self-employed income. I got all the way to the e-file part and stated I had to pay a fee $14.99. I was very upset because I will be trying another company that is free to file and do e-file. I brag on TaxACT for many years but now I do not know what to say.

Been using TaxACT for a number of years. Every fall, get an email to lock in prices before the increase. This year it was $14.99 for file federal and state returns. So I do my 2015 taxes, get all the way to end like in past years and have to pay the fees of $14.95 to e-file. Yep, no problem, that's the price I expected to pay. Then put final touches on the state return and guess what, another $14.95 to file the state return. So it costs twice as much as the advertised price. I contacted TaxAct and get a step by step reply to see the pricing within my account. And of course the TaxAct program shows that it's $14.95 for each fed. and state return. Very deceitful. TaxAct - you got me this year. But never again.

I think this is my fourth year to use TaxACT to file both my Federal and State income taxes. Each year it becomes more complicated, even though I file a 1040-EZ. This time around though the website stated that I had an incomplete Box 1 (Wages, tips, other income) in my State filing, and that I needed to go back for completion. After 4 failed attempts, I finally decided to select "delete" State from the process. Guess what, it then said I had successfully completed both my State and Federal filings. So darn frustrating. Next year (2016 filing) I will use a different company.

I have used TaxAct for nearly a decade with no problems and even preferred it over other consumer software because of its price and great interface but this year I have tried to file more than a dozen times correcting the same EF pin complaint. It tells me that the return is submitted but when I check on it the program says there is no return on file and IRS sends a rejection. I'm moving on! Enough! And forget getting your money back!

They claim it's free but at the very end they surprise you with wanting to pay them money to make things faster. They initially say they are free then at the end they say, "sorry we can't do this, you are trying to access these premium features, pay now." The issue is they should be upfront instead of springing it on you at the end. They are not upfront and honest about what they are charging for. They are just hoping people pay the 10 dollars at the very end for convenience sake. So after a few years using this service, I used H&R Block online. It was a much much better experience. This is only for federal taxes, state taxes I don't have to do.

I have used TaxACT for years and started this year by clicking the free-federal-tax-return button as always. An hour of entering info later, message pops up that because I had a state tax refund last year, filing is going to cost me. They have a right as a company to change their policy, but they didn't change their user interface to help even long-time users understand this, and in the "What's New" section of their intro website, nothing is said about the rate change. That's bait-and-switch, that makes them scoundrels, and that's why I'm writing this.

AVOID USING. Miserable! Have used this program several times in past without difficulty, but this year they have made changes that make it almost impossible to use -- constantly shuts down and requires you to log back in, cannot use computer to look for required data (like addresses) while you are using program, misses asking many key questions, very non-intuitive structure makes it difficult to find where to put key information. Really just a miserable experience. I don't know what happened -- it was fine before. If there is a customer service number, they make it very hard to find.

In signing up for TaxACT and their Bundle Package, I informed the salesperson I did not have an EFIN and was told I did not need an EFIN until January 01, 2017. I was just starting my Income Tax Business adding to my Financial Planning Business, better serving my friends/clients. After filing my first 14 Income Tax returns, ALL FOURTEEN were put in "SUSPENSION" for I did not have an EFIN. In checking the IRS Website, it takes a minimum of twenty eight days to get an EFIN. In conversation with the tech rep, Paul by name, I could hear the shoulder shrug through the phone. After waiting 45 minutes, he asked me, "What do you want me to do?"

I have used TaxAct for years, filing itemized federal tax e-forms 1040, completely free. This year, I got all the way through the ordeal of entering all my numbers, which took me 2 hours. THEN I am told that I have to pay $14.99 because they don't have Form 1040. What!!! I am so angry. Is this legal? I will never use this company again.

I have used TaxACT for over 10 years. I have always been able to use the basic version but this year, they restrict what forms are available and they constantly force you to upgrade to the most expensive version of the program. Very misleading! Last year I filed federal and state for $21 and this year it will be at least $40. I should have cut my losses, but with each new form they charged me more. The user interface is terrible this year. Go somewhere else.

I used taxactonline.com to do my taxes this year and tried to contact them several times through email and no answer. Then there is a phone number that is constantly busy. I needed to know why I could not preview my schedule C and other forms before filing and NO ANSWER. The only form I can see is my 1040. There is not even someone to chat with. It is ridiculous.

I suddenly found I couldn't log into TaxACT to finish my tax return. I learned that you are blocked out if you forget your password a couple times. So I sent emails asking to be unblocked, but it's been several days and still no action. That's enough for me to find another service or perhaps just download forms and do it all myself. Can't submit receipt - they've always charged at the end.

What a pathetic design. I ordered Taxact s/w three times. Each time they assigned new customer number and I had to use different customer number to login. All of them assigned to same email id. The latest 2015 order has new customer ID and stopped working. If I reset the password with email ID that resets old customer number login and no choice to reset new customer id login. Tried to call customer service. The line was busy always. Got up early morning and called as soon as they customer service is open. I am in hold for more than 1 hour and giving "non-sense" message. Clear your browser cache message every 30 seconds... this should be last time I am using TAXACT s/w.

TaxAct didn't disclose any fees except the $30 filing fee. Come to find out I am paying bank fees too. $20 extra on state now waiting to see how much extra for the bank on federal. They said NOTHING on the tax website for those extra fees. I'm getting ripped off! I will never use TaxAct again.

I've used TaxACT online exclusively for years. I was initially able to file completely for free, then as the years progressed and e-filing became the norm, I began paying what I considered a modest fee of $7.99 with an email discount. This year I began my 2015 taxes and invested the usual significant amount of time entering W2s, 1099s, etc. Progressing along nicely, I get to the section where I'm asked about an HSA. Yes, I had one. Oh, well you can't use the $9.99 version; you've got to upgrade to PLUS. Really, because I had a high-deductible insurance plan with an HSA, that's going to cost me $5 more?! So, before you conclude that I'm just a cheapskate, it's the principle. Don't reel me in and get me to waste a bunch of time and then bait and switch! There was no warning which forms were available and which weren't. I'm done with this company.

I have used TaxACT Online for many years. I always use the free version, file my Federal Taxes with itemized deductions, and that's it. It's always been very user friendly and fast. This year, however, they let you get all the way through the return and then tell you that it's $14.99 to itemize. Plus, I was in a seemingly endless loop because I did not want to pay even more to file my state taxes. I finally backtracked many, many steps and got out of the loop. I will never use this company again. I don't like dishonesty or sneaky moves.

We used TaxACT last year. You have to pay to review previous years taxes. When I did this they charged my account twice. After charging my account twice I am still unable to download or access previous year taxes. There is no phone number to call to contact for customer service. This company is a joke. I will never use them again.

I've used TaxAct for over 10 years now, but no longer. Literally the ONLY advantage TaxAct had over companies like TurboTax and H&R Block was that you could file whatever form you wanted for free, and just had to tolerate the constant pestering of TaxAct to buy its inferior pay versions. I am seriously offended that TaxAct would make me waste my time entering in all mine and my wife's tax information only to tell me at the last second that I'd have to pay a $15 fee to file. I cannot stress enough how infuriating it is to me that the average U.S. citizen can no longer do his or her own taxes for free. We now literally have to pay in order to pay the government. I hope that injustice is not lost on anyone reading this review.

I input all my information then hit submit. Upon giving the system time, I tried to locate my return using TaxACT's system. It kept coming back as no return on file. I finally gave up after two weeks and processed my return using Turbo Tax. Got Federal return within 1 week. State within 11/2 weeks. I would never recommend anyone using TaxACT system.

I have used TaxAct for more than 5 years and over the past two years have noticed a disastrous slide. It seems as if Second Storey Software was purchased by another company two years ago. Before that, there was a separate, very reasonable, charge for Technical/Tax support, and telephone response was ALWAYS quick and knowledgeable. Last year, this area started to go downhill really fast. As I write this, I have been on hold for over three quarters of an hour. Yesterday, I gave up after getting a busy signal for more than 15 times I called over the course of the entire day. Last week, I had the same "luck". The TaxAct program has always been an excellent and intuitive one. Unfortunately, if TaxAct does not correct this phone support "problem", they will be out of business in another couple of weeks. That would be really sad.

Ads posted say filing is free including itemized deductions. However, after investing time inputting all information and deductions, software then limits you to standard deduction unless you upgrade for a fee. Hello, THAT'S NOT FREE!

In spite of several, I mean several, attempts, I have not been able to log in to the account NOR reset my password. There is something seriously wrong with their website and customer service is non-existent! BEWARE!

My return is not as complicated as a lot of people, I had one checked by a tax firm and they came up with the same thing. I have never had the IRS send me a bill for something I missed. It's much cheaper than an accountant, but you might need more help if you have a lot of complicated deductions, otherwise it is a very good deal, and most include state returns for free. They have onscreen questions, just plug in the answers, if you have a question the help files are very good. It has all the forms you might need, when done you can print it out, or file online. I have never had a problem with security, have never heard of any problems they might have had. I can't comment on more than that, since I don't know.

I'm a trained tax preparer, and I first used TAXACT because it was inexpensive. The first two times I used it I double-checked by doing my own on paper. There were no mistakes, and I've used it without worry ever since. It's easy to use, and it has very incisive questions so I can get the most money back or pay the least, whichever the case may be. I also like that I can view previous years entries to compare. TAXACT is a great value. Electronic federal filing is free, and the state filing is very inexpensive. I've used it for quite a while.

Never an issue in terms of accuracy of results. I did have to seek assistance from their helpline on how to enter information related to an odd item for a partnership. They provided me with the proper answer. Prices are way below other software packages I have tried. Organization of flow is good as are summaries of income, deductions and taxes. Have used their packages for years. You can enter your data in a questionnaire fashion or using detailed worksheets. The flow is logical and follows the best way to enter information as it relates to each type of data. I have not had a security issue with this software but may only have been lucky. This year they have added an extra layer of security to get to the account making me feel better about it. But, is it ever strong enough in today's hacking environment. The Federal and State governments need to tighten up security also, even if it means sending refunds more slowly.

I have never been audited?? All my numbers come out accurate as far as I can tell. I don't go around double checking it by hand. I mean that is why I get tax software in the first place, right? I think it sneaks up on you and is a little deceptive about free filing. It tells you that it is free but it charges you for depositing your money via direct deposit. This is very easy to use. Asks a lot of the right questions to try to get you the biggest refund. It flags areas of concern and reminds you to check them again before you file. I have never had any kind of issue with security. There are plenty of security questions it asks you every time you sign in. Blah Blah Blah. Really.

Last year we had problems. Once we finished the document, we were unable to file it, ended up having to print it off and send it in that way. We figured something was wrong with the system. Don't know if we'll use it this year or not. Have no idea, we couldn't submit it online. What more do you want us to say? We did it and couldn't submit it. Read what I wrote, ** it!! :-( Easy to use UNTIL one tries to submit it. Nothing else to say here. That part sucked big time!!! No idea!!!

I have been using TaxACT for many years but I am really disappointed with their products for 2015... I paid more than $1000.00 and at this time the Business forms for New York State are not available. I called them many times to ask when they will be ready, and nobody know!!! All other tax software companies are ready and I do not understand why it's happening.

I have used TaxAct for 2013-now. Before that I used TurboTax, which I loved but they had changed their business model by charging more and limiting the number of returns one could e-file. Since I was doing mine, my girlfriend, plus all five of my kids' returns, I needed to be able to e-file more than five. At any rate, I didn't ever really like TaxAct as well as TurboTax, but once I had swapped over I didn't want to swap back so I stuck with it. But each year I yearned for TurboTax.

I am disgusted that they changed their format for the 2015 tax season. I have used this company for YEARS and recommended to everyone I know. Sorry to see that they are now charging for everything except a 1040 EZ yet still advertising free returns. Disgusted. I am not usually one to write reviews but I hope this company gets shut down for their bait and switch tactics. I now have to warn everyone I previously recommended!!!

As a small tax return prep business I've been using TaxAct's professional package since 2000 and have purchased it again for 2015 taxes; this will be the last time I ever use TaxAct. I've seen their customer support go from bad to non-existence and software go from easy to use to mind boggling. The final straw was after purchasing the preparer's package plus state package. I found the current version (2015 taxes) will not allow me to e-file my clients returns since I'm running Windows XP on my principal computer. Nowhere was I made aware that current version would not run on XP and after numerous e-mails to customer support was told I'd have to either upgrade my operating system or buy a new computer. My answer to TaxAct - I may have to upgrade my computer but it sure won't be so I can run TaxAct, I'll be looking at other programs and worse case will go back to doing paper returns and no e-filing.

TaxAct was never the "best" tool to use -- it was clunky and had a horrible user interface, but it was one of the very few programs that allowed you to file many of the forms for free (in fact, for the past two years, they've released a press release touting that very fact!) When I went to file my taxes this year, as soon as I got to the Schedule "E", I was prompted that I needed to pay for the upgraded version. Why TaxAct would change the ONE thing they had going for them is beyond me. If I'm going to have to pay just because I have rental income, I'd rather pay someone else -- a site with a MUCH better UI (user interface), customer support, and brand recognition. Whoever made this marketing decision should be ashamed.

I am a tax preparer with 9 years experience. Well Jan 19, 2016 kicked off my 2015 tax service opening. Only to find out my taxACT account had been hacked and several of my clients have been rejected, stating their social security number had already been filed, forcing them to do paper returns. This is a nightmare. I in turn began to call taxACT for 4 days straight and not get an answer until yesterday. I also learned through google and Facebook that there was a security breach in which several clients information had been stolen. I am very upset. I will NEVER use this software again. They are saying it's my computer but during off season, I store my files on a flash drive securely stored.

Used this tax service last year and actually wasn't bad, filed federal free and state was 7 or 14. Forewent the state. This year I come back to file the same forms, same jobs, same kids, etc. Suddenly I can't see last year's taxes without paying! This free privilege expires, because I guess that's how you gain loyal customers right? Btw the site claims IRS charges 60$ for tax transcripts, ummm try actually FREE through their website. So why would I pay to see that! THEN you have to pay 9.99 to populate last year's valid info on the new tax return, please explain why that has to be a charge just to make you do this all over when they still have all your info from last year?

I received a promo # to get their services for free. When I visit the site, I am unable to find out where to enter the code. I have looked everywhere and the only thing they ask for is my bank account info. I don't think so. I'm going to look for another company. I have used TaxACT in the past with no problems. They need to get it together.

I have never taken the time to write a review about a company nor a product. But, after my experience I just had with TaxAct this evening, I am so livid that I can't help but write this review. First- I'm trying to obtain a copy of my 2013 tax returns. I have used TaxAct one time and that was the year that I used them. It has been utter HELL trying to obtain this copy. I was on the hold for 27 mins the first time I called before speaking to a woman who did nothing but talk to me in a rude demeanor and cut me off with each of my sentences. (We ended up hanging up on one another.) Second time I called, the representative was a little bit more helpful but it seemed I had some other hoops to go through that the last representative never even informed me of.

I have used TaxAct the last few years because of bad service from TurboTax. I started filing my taxes at 10 am this morning. Was just about finished when it timed out as I was entering information. I tried to get back in and it would not let me back in because of password issues. I tried two times to create a new account and each time the code that was provided was not accepted. I tried emailing and calling for over two hours and could not reach their customer support. Finally got back in to the program by accident and was entering bank information when the same thing happened.

I have used TaxAct online for many years now with no problem until this year when I tried to file my 2015 taxes. WHAT A NIGHTMARE! It used to be so simple and easy to use, I was astonished to find that now it was full of repetitive pop-ups and new restrictions in order to force you to "upgrade" to one of their multiple new paid "premium" levels. This year things that used to be free, like direct deposit, importing previous years information, and even definitions/advice on life events, are now only available after you pay to upgrade. Just this morning a coworker was trying to convince me to use TurboTax instead, and I said no because I've always had an easy time with TaxAct. Well, today TaxAct has convinced me to use TurboTax. Free e-filing - LIARS!!!

I have used TaxAct for several years and this year has been a catastrophe to sign in and process my 2015 taxes. I am so fed up with their sign up system that I will do my 2015 the old fashion - long hand. Their support system is a disaster - no telephone number to call. This electronic filing system is a joke!!