TaxSlayer Classic 2022 review: Budget filing without finesse
Our Verdict
TaxSlayer Classic is the best upkeep tax software, efficient and low-priced. But if yous can spare the extra dollars, we'd suggest springing for ane of its competitors that offer a smoother experience.
For
- Inexpensive, simplified pricing construction
- Archetype version services all tax situations
- Lets yous work on up to three years of returns
- Only ane with a defended Military version
Against
- No taxation skilful review
Tom'southward Guide Verdict
TaxSlayer Classic is the best upkeep tax software, efficient and depression-priced. But if you can spare the extra dollars, nosotros'd advise springing for one of its competitors that offering a smoother experience.
Pros
- +
Inexpensive, simplified pricing structure
- +
Classic version services all taxation situations
- +
Lets y'all piece of work on upwards to three years of returns
- +
Only ane with a dedicated Armed services version
Cons
- -
No tax expert review
TaxSlayer Classic 2021 is the best revenue enhancement software for those on a budget. In fact, apart from the entirely free Credit Karma, the entire TaxSlayer lineup has the accolade of being the least expensive across the board. And it is the cheapest of all for filing a Federal return, covering many circumstances without requiring a service upgrade.
Interface improvements bolster this year's offerings also, with clear guidance and like shooting fish in a barrel navigation through the process. It remains the only service that allows you to do two years of back taxes online, and the merely 1 with a dedicated Armed services tier for active service members. However, TaxSlayer Classic doesn't provide equally much paw-holding as you'll become with pricier competitors such as H&R Block and TurboTax.
TaxSlayer Archetype 2021 review: Cost
TaxSlayer has 4 tiers of service in its online Federal portfolio; prices range from free to $47. The free tier includes state filing.
The structure of the services is slightly different from competing services. Simply Gratuitous is just that, and information technology handles Westward-ii and didactics deductions and credits. The $17 Archetype tier handles most tax situations, while Premium ($37) adds priority phone and email support and Ask a Revenue enhancement Pro help. The $47 Self-Employed tier notes it is best for contractors, freelancers, and side hustlers (i of the few to acknowledge the trendy term for individual gig ventures). TaxSlayer is the merely service with a defended Military tier, which allows active service members to exercise their Federal return for nothing.
The simplicity of TaxSlayer's pricing structure is refreshing, although we experienced a hard upsell immediately subsequently logging into the Classic service. But there is something to be said for the straightforward approach, without having a la card pricing and add-ons, as institute with competing services. Also refreshing: None of the histrionics of sale or express time pricing, with high prices slashed through to more affordable ones during certain periods in the pb-up to tax deadlines. TaxSlayer shows ane toll, clearly and in bold lettering. That arroyo alone makes a statement. Information technology also makes it impossible to guess whether the price might actually go upward every bit the tax deadline approaches.
TaxSlayer Classic 2021 review: State filing
Country revenue enhancement filing is included with the gratis version. Country filing costs $32 for the other tiers of service, the lowest price nosotros've seen of any paid revenue enhancement service.
TaxSlayer Classic 2021 review: Features
TaxSlayer isn't big on fancy features. This year adds an improved W-2 import process, importing data from payroll services or past scanning an image, and auto-populating the information in the service.
Also new: a improve optimized Quick File experience that streamlines the filing procedure by letting you spring direct to specific forms you know yous need.
As with competitors, the Self-Employed tier is distinguished past its support for full 1099 and Schedule C deductions, and tax payment reminders — standard fare for the self-employed.
It gives some additional guidance on work expense deductions, plus has quarterly revenue enhancement payment reminders and yr-round taxation tips.
TaxSlayer Classic 2021 review: Available help
With competing products, the step-upward tiers are designed around adding features (for instance TurboTax Premium adds investment-centric tax forms). In contrast, TaxSlayer'southward Premium version doesn't add tax features so much as it does add the ability to Inquire a Tax Pro and get priority support for skipping to the caput of the line during phone and email conversations. Still, this characteristic is only bachelor to users of TaxSlayer Premium and TaxSlayer Self-Employed. This is not available as an add together-on as with H&R Block Deluxe, TaxAct and TurboTax.
At the Archetype level, that means you get support for a wider swath of taxation forms than with most competitors. You as well become a hard upsell virtually immediately to upgrade to Premium. If you don't seize with teeth on the upsell, you become the standard tier of assistance that includes tax filing guidance, frequently asked questions, and tax code updates. The back up page is very basic, with a website design that at times looks like information technology belongs in the yr 2001 rather than 2021. For example, the revenue enhancement law updates that detail the impact of Covid stimulus payments is text based, with simple HTML pattern. You lot as well become email support via a form on the site, online chat, and a local phone number (hours of operation not posted).
TaxSlayer Archetype 2021 review: Ease of use
Signing up for TaxSlayer Classic is a standard matter. Nonetheless, the service deviates from norms by requiring you to provide a signature agreeing to the terms of using the service immediately afterwards your first sign-in.
The next screen and then begins the upsell to Premium, which it recommends "to maximize your refund with priority support, access to a tax pro, and IRS audit assist." The $twenty extra cost isn't what we found offputting — afterwards all, it is still less than the competition — but the mere fact that we had just started, and were already being pushed to upgrade, was.
We skipped that role, and proceeded to piece of work on our taxes. Nosotros constitute a very streamlined, bones interface. Navigation is clear cutting, though not without the occasional oddity, and we liked how the interface's left navigation pane is configured, with a detailed menu that lets you navigate at volition through dissimilar sections of the return.
Overall, the pattern is bones, and harkens back to an earlier era of website blueprint. The interface has some pleasant graphic touches, but not many; we were admittedly not fans of the cherry and dark-green buttons for go on and cancel.
TaxSlayer now joins competing services by having ane presentation across desktop, mobile spider web, or mobile app. Language is clear and free of revenue enhancement jargon. And we liked that TaxSlayer provides direct data entry if yous know the grade you lot demand, or guided data entry, in which the system asks questions to help prompt you through the process. Nonetheless, aswe moved through the service, we missed having context-sensitive help found in competing packages to explain terms while working on our return.
TaxSlayer Archetype 2021 review: Verdict
TaxSlayer Classic is the best upkeep tax software because information technology gets the job done in an efficient fashion, and information technology does so at the everyman prices of any paid tax software. The feel overall is less smooth than on competing products. The interface has less specific help and less visual design and guidance than our best tax software option H&R Block Palatial or even value-price competitor TaxAct Deluxe, and it lacks the breadth of live assist options of TurboTax. If y'all tin spare the extra dollars, we'd suggest springing for one of TaxSlayers competitors.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/taxslayer-classic-2021
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