The deadline to file your federal tax return will be here before you know it.

Filing taxes isn’t the highlight of anyone’s year, but submitting your return as early as possible has multiple benefits. You can receive your tax refund faster if you file online and set up a direct deposit payment.

If you’re using online tax software and paying to file your taxes, you usually pay less when you file a month or two ahead of the IRS deadline. You also help lower your risk of tax fraud. Whether you have a simple tax return (a W-2, student loan interest and some other basic credits) or you’re self-employed with deductions to claim, online tax software can guide you through the tax filing process with relative ease. Many services also offer contextual assistance and support to help answer your questions along the way.

CNET’s experts reviewed the best online tax software options for ease of use, pricing guidance and more to help you find the best option for your tax situation.

Best tax filing service for most filers: TurboTax

TurboTax combines tax expertise with an easy-to-use interface that makes it accessible to both experienced filers and newcomers filing their taxes alone for the first time.

Like other online tax filing software, TurboTax will tell you exactly where to find the information it needs on your tax forms and alert you if something doesn’t look right. The service also informs you if you’ve added forms that will require you to upgrade tiers, so you’ll always know how much you stand to pay before filing.

TurboTax covers a range of taxpayers with its three tiers — TurboTax Free Edition (approximately 37% of taxpayers qualify, Form 1040 + limited tax credits only), Deluxe and Premium. Should you require assistance, Turbo offers TurboTax Live Assisted and TurboTax Live Full Service, where you can ask an expert questions or hand over your taxes to a tax professional.

Best free tax filing service: H&R Block

H&R Block has many things going for it. It boasts a great free filing option with more forms than TurboTax. Its paid tiers are also cheaper. And it even offers live customer support with paid tiers at no additional cost.

While not as smooth as its top competitor, H&R Block features a well-designed, interview-style system that helps you navigate the tax-filing process and avoid mistakes. Help screens and FAQs are also comprehensive.

H&R Block offers four tiers for filing your returns in 2025 — Free Online, Deluxe, Premium and Self-Employed — in addition to in-person assistance at a local branch and online help from a Live Tax Pro.

If you can justify paying for H&R Block’s Deluxe, Premium or Self-Employed tiers, you’ll also get access to H&R Block’s AI Tax Assist tool. The AI chatbot is a delight to use, but it’s not perfect. Downgrading tiers on H&R Block still requires you to contact the company directly. That should be changed soon. But you will lose your progress and be required to start your return over.

Best accuracy guarantee: TaxAct

TaxAct’s major distinction continues to be its $100,000 Tax Accuracy Guarantee. The service promises to get you an accurate refund and the maximum allowable by law. If it doesn’t, TaxAct will refund you up to $100,000 to cover the difference between your actual refund and what you missed out on after testing another service, as well as any associated software, legal or audit costs.

TaxAct doesn’t have the feature set of other online tax software options, but it offers a straightforward service at a discounted price compared to top competitors. This makes it a good choice if you don’t qualify to file for free on TurboTax and H&R Block, which are known to charge more for paid tiers. TaxAct does offer a free tier for federal filing, but requires $40 per state return.

TaxAct’s one-on-one professional tax assistance service, Xpert Assist, is also available for $25 or $60 for unlimited access.

Its free help tools for tax filers include a handy tax glossary and instructions for filling out a wide range of common tax forms.

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