9 Best Free Tax Software of 2026

Cash App Taxes is the simplest answer to the question of how to file federal and state taxes for free, because there is no paid version to be pushed into. Its own page says that no matter your tax situation, federal and state returns are free, and it adds that 1099 income from work, a bank or a side gig stays at $0. Cash App says it has filed over 12 million returns without charging a filing fee. The service comes with accurate calculation and max refund guarantees, and if you send the refund to Cash App it can arrive up to 5 days early. The limits are about scope rather than price. Cash App's help center lists multiple state, part-year and nonresident state returns as unsupported, along with foreign earned income and returns for people living outside the US. You also need the Cash App app to log in. For a W-2 worker who lived in one state all year, none of that matters.

H&R Block Free Online covers more simple returns than most free editions from the large brands. H&R Block says approximately 52% of filers qualify, and its FAQ states there is no federal fee, no state fee and no filing fee for those returns. The free edition handles Form 1040 with schedules for the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, student loan interest and retirement plan distributions. It supports 1099-G unemployment, 1099-R retirement income, and 1099-INT and 1099-DIV income up to $1,500 each, plus 1098-T and Form 8863 for education credits, which makes it a good fit for students and retirees with simple income. You lose the free price if you itemize deductions or have self-employment income; the software then guides you to a paid edition. It is a strong pick for people who want a well known brand and expect their return to stay inside those limits.

FreeTaxUSA is the pick for people whose return would knock them out of other free editions. Its pricing page says federal is always free, and the same $0 federal price applies to its Basic, Advanced, Premium and Self-Employed feature sets, which cover home ownership, rental income, investments and freelance work. The catch for this list is state: each state return costs $15.99, so a simple filer pays $15.99 total in a state with income tax and $0 in a state without one. Stock and crypto upload, W-2 and 1099 import, returning user import, printable returns and tax extensions are all included at no charge. Support starts with email, and FreeTaxUSA sells Deluxe Support at $7.99 for live chat and Pro Support at $44.99 for tax pro advice. Because states are priced individually, it also works for people who moved or earned income in two states, which Cash App Taxes does not support.

TurboTax Free Edition gives simple filers the most guided interview on this list at no cost. Intuit lists the total as $0 federal, $0 state and $0 to file, and its feature table shows multiple state returns at $0, which is a real edge over Cash App Taxes for people who worked in two states. The free edition is limited to simple Form 1040 returns with no schedules except those for the EITC, the Child Tax Credit, student loan interest and Schedule 1-A, which covers the new deductions for qualified tips, overtime pay, car loan interest and seniors. Taxable retirement plan distributions are included too. Intuit says about 37% of filers qualify. Itemized deductions, self-employment income, stock or crypto sales and rental income all push you to a paid edition, and live expert help is sold as an upgrade, so check your forms before you start.

IRS Free File is the government route to a free federal return. It has two parts. Guided tax software is offered by IRS partner companies to filers with adjusted gross income of $95,000 or less, and each partner sets its own rules on income, age and state. Free File Fillable Forms are open at any income level, but you enter the numbers yourself, calculations are limited and there is no state filing. The IRS lists some free state tax preparation and filing among the guided partners, and Spanish preparation is available. The IRS also notes you must start from its site rather than a partner's commercial site to get the Free File offer. As of November 2026 the IRS page says Free File has closed and to check back in January 2027, so this is a plan for next season. It scores lower on ease because you compare partner rules before you start.

TaxSlayer Simply Free fits a narrow group well: single or married-filing-jointly filers under 65 with no dependents, the standard deduction and taxable income of $100,000 or less from wages, tips, taxable interest of $1,500 or less and unemployment. Inside those limits you get one free federal return and education breaks, namely the American Opportunity Tax Credit, the Lifetime Learning Credit and the student loan interest deduction. TaxSlayer shows state as included at $0, though its FAQ says a free state return may be included at certain times during the filing season, so check before you start. A real plus is U.S.-based phone and email support on the free tier. The list of exclusions is long: the EITC, the Child Tax Credit, Social Security benefits, pensions and IRA distributions all require Classic at $19.99 plus state. Parents and retirees should use another free option.

Jackson Hewitt Online is on this list as the fallback for people who start with a free edition and get told to upgrade. Its page says you can file federal and state returns for $25 flat, for simple or more complex returns, and that you will not pay the $25 until you file. The same fee covers hourly and salaried workers, unemployment wages, rideshare and freelance 1099 income, families claiming the Child Tax Credit, students with a 1098-T and multi-state filers. Live chat support is free, and the software can download W-2 employer information and runs automatic error checks. For a truly simple return it costs more than the $0 options above, and it has no free tier at all. But for a parent with gig income in two states, a fixed $25 is often less than an upgraded TurboTax or H&R Block edition.

1040.com, a Taxwell company, charges one flat price of $34.99 for federal and state returns, and says every feature is included for everyone. That makes it a predictable option for filers who do not fit free-edition rules and dislike tiered upsells. You can start for free and preview the completed return before you pay. The service supports all filing statuses, imports W-2s from a database of over 1 million employers, keeps returns stored for 3 years and offers email and chat support. Two add-ons are worth knowing about: paying with your refund through E-collect costs $29.95, and Audit Assistance from Protection Plus costs $34.95. For the simple filers this list targets, $34.99 is more than the free options, and it is $9.99 more than Jackson Hewitt Online's flat fee, so it ranks lower on value.

ezTaxReturn offers a free federal return to filers with a simple tax situation, and its own pricing block shows $44.99 for federal otherwise, $45.99 for a state return and $90.98 for both. For people in Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington or Wyoming, who have no state income tax return to file, that means a simple return can cost $0 in total. Everyone else pays $45.99 for state, which is far more than the $0 state returns from Cash App Taxes, H&R Block Free Online and TurboTax Free Edition. Support is a strength: ezTaxReturn lists free 7-day U.S.-based support with callback or email. Add-ons include audit defense at $42.99, amended return insurance at $12.99 and a refund transfer at $39.95. It ranks last here because the state fee undercuts the free federal offer for most readers.