Tax Software
FreeTaxUSA
FreeTaxUSA does one radical thing: federal filing is $0 at every complexity level — including self-employed Schedule C returns with 1099 income, depreciation, and home-office deductions that cost $100+ elsewhere. It's run by TaxHawk, Inc., a founding member of the IRS Free File Alliance operating since 2001, so the "free" is a two-decade-old business model, not a teaser.
The model works because state returns and optional support are the paid product — and because there's one hard boundary: no business-entity returns.
- Website
- freetaxusa.com
- Category
- Tax Software
- Pricing
- Free plan + paid tiers
- Starts at
- $0 federal; $15.99 per state
- Best for
- Self-employed filers and sole proprietors who know their way around a return and refuse to pay $100+ for software.
- Profile updated
- July 16, 2026
Independent profile — no affiliate links or sponsored placement.
Key features
- Free federal filing for all individual situations: Schedule C, 1099s, rentals (Schedule E), depreciation
- Flat-fee state returns regardless of complexity
- Deluxe upgrade: priority support, live chat, unlimited amended returns
- Pro Support upgrade: talk to a credentialed tax pro by phone or screen share
- Audit Defense add-on
- Prior-year import from TurboTax, H&R Block, and TaxAct
Pricing
As of July 2026 (FreeTaxUSA's site blocks automated price checks; figures corroborated across 2026 editorial reviews — verify at freetaxusa.com):
- Federal — $0, all complexity levels
- State — $15.99 per state (recently up from the long-standing $14.99)
- Deluxe — ~$7.99
- Pro Support — ~$64.99 (older reviews cite lower figures; this is the most recent corroborated price)
- Audit Defense — ~$19.99
A fully-loaded self-employed return with one state and pro support still lands under $90 — less than most rivals charge before add-ons.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Genuinely free federal filing for self-employed complexity — no upsell wall mid-return
- Support upgrades are priced like accessories, not ransoms
- Two decades of history and IRS Free File participation behind the model
Cons
- No entity returns — it cannot prepare Form 1065, 1120-S, or 1120 (K-1s you *receive* are fine)
- Plainer interface with less hand-holding than TurboTax
- No downloadable desktop option or in-person escalation
Who should use FreeTaxUSA?
Any sole proprietor, freelancer, or gig worker filing on a personal 1040 should at least price their return here — for most, "price" means $15.99 total. The moment your business becomes an S corp or partnership, FreeTaxUSA is off the table for the entity return itself (though it still handles the personal 1040 that receives the K-1).
Rating, for context: Capterra shows 4.5/5 but from only 4 reviews; more meaningfully, Trustpilot shows 4.2/5 from 3,000+ reviews — as of July 2026.
FAQs
Is FreeTaxUSA really free for self-employed filers?+
Yes — federal Schedule C filing is $0 with no complexity-based upsell. You pay $15.99 per state return and only if you add support upgrades.
Can FreeTaxUSA file my LLC's return?+
A single-member LLC (which files on Schedule C) — yes, free. A multi-member LLC, partnership, S corp, or C corp — no; it doesn't prepare entity returns. You'd file the entity elsewhere and enter your K-1 in FreeTaxUSA.
What's the catch?+
State fees and optional add-ons fund the product, and the interface assumes mild confidence. There's no free phone support — that's the $64.99 Pro Support upgrade.
Similar tools in the directory
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