Independent · sourced · Updated June 2026
Best Tax Software (2026)
The cheapest tax software is Cash App Taxes at $0/mo. 6 offer a free tier (Cash App Taxes, FreeTaxUSA, H&R Block). This page compares 6 options on entry price, free tier, HIPAA/SOC 2 and best-for — every figure linked to its source, updated June 2026.
6 options compared on price, free tier, compliance and fit — ranked cheapest-first. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it; quote-only tiers show “—”, never a guess.
Key takeaways
- Cheapest: Cash App Taxes at $0/mo (Free).
- Typical paid price: from $7.99/mo, median $35/mo, up to $79/mo — across 5 with published pricing.
- Free tier: Cash App Taxes, FreeTaxUSA, H&R Block, TaxAct, TaxSlayer, TurboTax.
- Tracked: 6 vendors, data current through 2026-06-15.
Comparison
| # | Tax Software | Entry price | Free | HIPAA | SOC 2 | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cash App Taxes | $0/mo Free | Yes | — | — | Any filer who wants genuinely free filing with no complexity restrictions | cash.app |
| 2 | FreeTaxUSA | $0/mo Free (Federal) | Yes | — | — | Experienced, confident filers who want maximum savings on federal filing | smartasset.com |
| 3 | H&R Block | $0/mo Free Online | Yes | — | — | Filers who want the option to switch between DIY online and in-person assistance | smartasset.com |
| 4 | TaxAct | $0/mo Free | Yes | — | — | Cost-conscious DIY filers comfortable without a mobile app | taxact.com |
| 5 | TaxSlayer | $0/mo Simply Free | Yes | — | — | Budget-conscious filers with tax experience who want low federal filing fees | smartasset.com |
| 6 | TurboTax | $0/mo Free Edition | Yes | — | — | Filers who want the most guided, hand-held experience | turbotax.intuit.com |
Prices are the lowest published self-serve monthly rate as captured on the linked source. Annual-billing and usage details are on each vendor's record in our open dataset.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest tax software?
Cash App Taxes has the lowest published entry price at $0/mo (Free), as of 2026-06-15.
How much does tax software cost per month?
Across the 5 tax software with published paid pricing, the median starting price is $35/mo, ranging from $7.99/mo to $79/mo, as of 2026-06-15. 6 also offer a free tier.
Which tax software have a free plan?
Cash App Taxes, FreeTaxUSA, H&R Block, TaxAct, TaxSlayer, TurboTax offer a free tier.
More software comparisons
How we compiled this
Published self-serve USD pricing collected for the 2025 tax year (returns filed in 2026). TurboTax product pages were fetched directly from turbotax.intuit.com and returned live prices. TaxAct pricing was fetched directly from taxact.com and returned live prices ($59.99/$99.99/$109.99 for Deluxe/Premier/Self-Employed; some comparison aggregators show lower promotional figures from earlier in the season). Cash App Taxes pricing was confirmed directly from cash.app/taxes. H&R Block, FreeTaxUSA, and TaxSlayer blocked direct fetches with HTTP 403; their prices were sourced from SmartAsset dedicated per-vendor review pages (smartasset.com), which are corroborated against the SmartAsset tax software comparison page. Tax filing software bills per-return (one-time annual fee), not monthly subscriptions; monthlyUsd reflects the per-filing fee for the smallest available unit (a single federal return). annualDiscountPct is null for all plans because there is no monthly vs. annual billing distinction — all plans are single-season purchases. minutesIncluded, callsIncluded, overagePerMin, and overagePerCall are null throughout (non-telephony product). hipaa and baa are null for all vendors (personal tax filing is not a HIPAA-regulated healthcare context). State filing fees are noted in plan notes but are not included in monthlyUsd since they are per-state add-ons, not the base plan price.
Last verified 2026-06-15. We re-check published prices and compliance on a recurring cadence and update this page when they change.
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