What is the best free tax website

Unless you’re filing for an extension, you’ve probably submitted your 2021 taxes by now and hopefully got any refund owed to you. The IRS was still working on returns from 2020 earlier this year because the agency has been so short-staffed. The 2022 tax season may run smoother depending on how quickly the IRS hires the 87,000 new agents it was promised in the Inflation Reduction Act. Much of the $80 billion is expected to go toward “enforcement,” but there will be plenty left over for improvements to the IRS's infrastructure and customer service.

Personal tax preparation software and websites built for the 2021 tax year helped many millions of people through the challenging process of preparing and filing their tax returns. And it was a challenging year, considering all the changes to the tax code prompted by the American Rescue Plan and 2020’s Consolidated Appropriations Act. Tax software companies incorporated the changes into their applications so skillfully that you might not even notice them.

Despite changes to the tax code, most tax software looks and works much as it did the year before. What's going on in the background as your tax data is calculated and rerouted to accommodate the new laws and forms—and hopefully get you a bigger refund—though, is different. So if you’ve applied for an extension and are planning to file your 2021 taxes by the October 17, 2022, deadline, and you’re wondering what the best tax prep services are, read on. After our list of the best tax software, you'll find more information about key tax questions, like how to know whether you can file your taxes for free and what you need to know about paying taxes on cryptocurrency activity.

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What Is Two-Factor Authentication?

Is Tax Software Safe?

Each of the tax websites we reviewed follows strict security protocols of its own, as you’ll see when you read the reviews. They’re at least as safe as the sites where you do online banking. Each offers a combination of different security methods. They do things like this:

• Monitor the site 24/7 and perform internal checks and external tests 

• Use multi-factor authentication 

• Employ Touch ID on their smartphone apps 

• Notify you of any unusual activity on your account, such as a password change, payment method update, or login from a new device 

• Apply industry-standard web-browsing encryption technology

• Ask you to answer security questions

Note that the IRS had originally announced that it would require facial recognition for filers to log into their system in 2022. It has since been announced that the IRS has backtracked on facial recognition, which would have been implemented via a third-party service for those creating new accounts. While this plan has been pulled for now, the IRS is looking for other authentication solutions.

Filing Your Taxes Online Is Easier Than Ever

Online tax preparation and filing services can save you a lot of time and frustration compared with filing your taxes on paper. They might even help you save money by finding deductions you hadn’t considered.

Tax apps and websites just keep getting better. If you’ve felt lost using a web-based tax solution in the past, consider giving it another try this year. Read our in-depth reviews and find the right service for your financial needs. You might be surprised at how easy it is to get through your taxes.

About Kathy Yakal

Contributor

I write about money. I’ve been reviewing tax software and services as a freelancer for PCMag since 1993. Along the way, I took on reviews of other types of business and personal finance technology. Prior to that, I had spent a few years writing about productivity and entertainment applications for 8-bit personal computers (my first one was a Commodore VIC-20) as a member of the editorial staff at Compute! 

After working at Lawson Associates, now Lawson Software, I switched my focus to accounting but learned that personal computer applications were more progressive and interesting to cover than mainframe solutions. So I served as editor of a monthly newsletter that provided support for accountants who were just starting to use PCs. I still ghostwrite monthly how-to columns for accounting professionals. From there, I went on to write articles and reviews for numerous business and financial publications, including Barron’s and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine.

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