FREETAXUSA never gave me the money for my last stimulus of $2800 for my wife and I. They stole it. When we filed my return it showed we were supposed to get $2800 for the last stimulus check. Do not trust these people. They steal money
Response from FreeTaxUSAOct 17, 2026
FreeTaxUSA never receives a tax refund or stimulus payment from a customer. All payments are handled between the IRS or state and financial institutions or sent to the taxpayer's address by check. If you have questions about your stimulus payment or any tax refund, we'd recommend you reach out to the IRS taxpayer advocate service here:
https://www.irs.gov/taxpayer-advocate
CL
Circe L.
Waits until last steps to tell you they can't file for you
I have been with free tax USA many years, and 2026 they royally messed me over
FTUSA software in unable to handle tax returns with certain situations. I have no issues with this
My big complaint is that it wasn't until after I went through EVERY step, including payment, that I was informed that they could not do my taxes.
I entered the Schedule K weeks before I went to finalize our taxes. Why was I not informed then of the issue? Because that is when the issue should be flagged, not in final steps
Unacceptable. Now I get to redo all my taxes with a qualified company. Every single bit needs to be redone . Because this company mislead me regarding what they can do .
It's not what the issue is, it how badly it was handled. And that Free Tax USA doesn't care when they eff you over .
Thanks for the stress you caused and I get to suffer
Response from FreeTaxUSAOct 16, 2026
Thank you for taking time to let us know about your filing experience. Our goal is to improve our software each year and increase the situations that we do support. You can view the items we do not support here:
https://www.freetaxusa.com/forms/
Please feel free to reach out to us in the future to see if your filing situation is supported. Our customer support agents would be happy to assist you.
If you purchased something that you don't need, a member of our support team would be happy to review your account. Please sign in and click the “Support” link.
MC
Michelle C.
FreeTaxUSA was so easy in 2023
FreeTaxUSA was so easy in 2023. Now I am back trying to complete my 2024 and 2025 return as an independent contractor / Gig worker and the interface is horrible. I spent all day preparing and tallying numbers in spreadsheets so I can just go into the website at FreeTaxUSA and do my Schedule C.
For some reason they have added all kinds of confusing documents and links to various documents that I do not understand. The clear path to what I want is not apparent and it is very stressful. I tried to find a support option but nothing but AI, no way to reach a human being. I am very disappointed because now I have to find another tax preparing website for regular folks, which will cause more delays. I rarely get time off and I can't get a thing done on their website all day long.
Why did you guys destroy the interface???? It's too complex now. Where is a simple "SElf Employed" option??. I am not an accountant and can barely understand all of the unnecessary forms I am being shown. Your system should be able to learn from my last filing of taxes and just take me where I need to be!! Ugh. I do not recommend FreeTaxUsa unless you are okay with getting a headache.
Response from FreeTaxUSASep 5, 2026
Our goal is to improve our software each year, so we appreciate you taking the time to let us know about your experience with FreeTaxUSA this year. Your opinion is important to us and we will consider your feedback as we look for ways to improve our software.
The software is configured to guide you through answering questions and entering information for your return. We try to find the right balance between ease of use, simplicity, and making sure that you don’t miss something. If you have any questions as you navigate through the software, there are several question mark buttons that you can click on to get more information.
If you still have questions, a member of our support team would be happy to help free of charge. Click the "Support" link when you're signed in to your account. Our AI answers first — and if it can't help, our support team will get back to you.
RS
Ram S.
This company is a complete rip off
This company is a complete rip off. Their charge was supposed to be $24. I did the option where they take it out of my refund. They took just over $48. When I contacted them they refused to admit they took to much money. My advice find someone else. You may have noticed the reply. I contacted Free Tax USA and they did nothing. I had a email showing that I did not choose the upgrade package. They however said I did and made no offer to refund the overcharge. I hate when these companies reply trying to sound innocent. They was not innocent and it wasn't an error. If so they would have refunded my money! Also notice they tried to play it like I was confused about their charge. I was not I paid for their basic return. They charged me for the upgraded return. I was not confused they straight up rippme off!!
Response from FreeTaxUSAAug 29, 2026
Hello, we're sorry for any confusion regarding our pricing. We make every effort to clearly disclose all fees by displaying pricing information on our website and throughout your account before services are selected.
If you choose to pay for our services using your refund, there is an additional fee for this service. If you pay for any of our optional services using a credit card, there is no additional fee.
We appreciate your feedback and are always looking for ways to make our pricing information even clearer.
JL
Jonathan L.
FreeTaxUSA is unusable if you need to Amend
FreeTaxUSA is unusable if you need to amend a prior-year return. I needed to prepare a 2024 amended return, and the workflow has been effectively impossible to use. To make matters worse, when I tried to leave feedback through FreeTaxUSA's own review system, I found the review-submission functionality unavailable. Trash. You also have to pay for support, which is hilarious.
Response from FreeTaxUSAAug 15, 2026
Hi Jonathan. You can amend your return using FreeTaxUSA if you filed your original return elsewhere. You can find instructions to do this here:
https://community.freetaxusa.com/kb/articles/289-how-do-i-amend-a-tax-return-if-i-m-new-to-freetaxusa
If you have questions during the process, you can reach out to support free of charge at any time through our messaging system by selecting 'Support' within your account. If you prefer to chat live, there is a charge for this upgrade and the hours for chat are Monday-Friday 9am-9pm ET. You can always send our agents a message free of charge at any time from within your account. An agent will reply through a message in your account.
CD
Charles D.
The way it handles the education tax…
The way it handles the education tax credits is extremely confusing and unhelpful, requiring me to file amended returns to get what I am owed. Nobody should use this service. It is not worth it.
Response from FreeTaxUSAAug 3, 2026
Our software is configured to guide you through answering questions and entering education information for your return. We try to find the right balance between ease of use, simplicity, and making sure that you don’t miss something.
If you have any questions as you navigate through the education section or other areas of the software, there are several question mark buttons that you can click on to get more information. If you still have questions, a member of our support team would be happy to help.
Additionally, we guarantee the accuracy of our calculations, and a member of our support team would be happy to explain the figures on your return. Please sign in to your account and click the "Support" link for assistance with your entires or clarification on calculations.
TM
Terri M.
TERRIBLE
I attempted to use FreeTaxUSA, but my experience was disappointing. Despite the website promoting "free" filing, I found that you cannot proceed with certain features unless you upgrade. First, I was prompted to upgrade to Deluxe for $7.99. Later, I was offered Pro Support for $44.99, and state filing cost an additional $15.99 plus sales tax. Other add-ons included Audit Defense for $19.99, a printed copy for $8.96, and a bound copy for $17.96. By the end, the costs added up quickly, making the "free" claim feel misleading.
I also found the platform difficult to use for 1099 income. I spent several hours on the phone and in online chats with customer support trying to correctly enter my 1099 information. Unfortunately, no one was able to provide a solution that worked for my situation.
After investing approximately 4–6 hours trying to make the service work, I ultimately had to abandon it and visit H&R Block to complete my taxes. The time spent and lack of effective support made this a very frustrating experience.
Response from FreeTaxUSAJun 15, 2026
We try to be upfront about our prices by displaying them on our home page at www.FreeTaxUSA.com. The federal return is 100% free, regardless of what forms you need to file. We also have several products and services available that are completely optional in order to meet the various needs of our customers.
If you have any questions as you navigate through the software, there are several question mark buttons that you can click on to get more information. There's also a search tool on every page in the software if you're looking for something in particular. If you still have questions, a member of our support team would be happy to help.
The support provided is based on the information that has been entered in your account and the details that you provide during your communication with our customer support agents. Our software supports the ability to report 1099 forms, including 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC. There is no additional charge to report any 1099 form.
There is never any obligation to purchase any of the additional products and services that are available. While we charge a small fee to prepare a state return, there is no fee to e-file any return. You may always download or print your returns free of charge. If you purchased something by mistake or if it doesn’t meet your expectations, we’d be happy to review your account. Please sign in and click the “Support” link for assistance.
NC
Nicole C.
I had an extremely frustrating…
I had an extremely frustrating experience with both FreeTaxUSA and Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG). I chose to have my filing fees deducted from my refund, which meant SBTPG handled the payment processing portion of my tax return. What followed was MONTHS of confusion, lack of accountability, and virtually no meaningful customer support.
After my refund was supposedly issued, I never received the funds. SBTPG later claimed they mailed a cashier’s check that was returned as “undeliverable,” despite my address being correct on file. From there, the process became a nightmare. I spent countless hours contacting SBTPG, the IRS, and attempting to get clear answers, only to receive inconsistent information and generic scripted responses.
The biggest issue was the complete lack of transparency and urgency. There was no reliable tracking process, no proactive communication, and no clear path to resolve the missing funds. I was repeatedly told to wait, while being left without access to money that was rightfully mine. The situation created significant financial hardship for my household.
I would strongly caution anyone against using the “pay with refund” option through FreeTaxUSA/SBTPG. Saving a small filing fee is not worth the risk and stress if something goes wrong with your refund distribution.
Response from FreeTaxUSAMay 27, 2026
Hi Nicole,
After your returns are accepted, the processing and timing of your refund is in the hands of the IRS & your state's department of revenue.
Once your refund is released from the IRS and/or your state, it will be sent on to SBTPG to withdraw our fees and issue the refund. When you see that the IRS or state tax agency has released your refund(s), you may then check the status of your refund at this link:
https://taxpayer.sbtpg.com/login
If the direct deposit is returned to SBTPG as undeliverable, the refund is often sent back to the IRS or state department or revenue.
Should you have any questions about your FreeTaxUSA account or if your refund has been sent back to the tax agency or not, we have support agents that would be happy to assist you. You can select the 'Support' option within your account to reach out.
