TaxSlayer Review 2022 | Premium Features At Affordable Price Points

Year after year, TaxSlayer delivers an amazing tax filing product, and 2022 is no exception. TaxSlayer’s amazing technology platform and discount prices make it a top choice, especially for landlords and self-employed people who often pay hefty fees to file their taxes.

If you’ve become outraged by the prices charged by premium tax software companies, but you don’t want to give up the premium experience, TaxSlayer may be right for you.

Let’s dive in to our TaxSlayer review and see what makes TaxSlayer one of the best tax software choices of the 2022 tax season.

TaxSlayer – Is It Really Free?

TaxSlayer has a pricing tier called Simply Free. This tier allows users with W-2 income and educational expenses to file Federal and State taxes for free.

The trouble with this tier is that it’s extremely restrictive. Credits like the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit aren’t unlocked at this level. Filers who have HSAs or qualify for Dependent Care Credits will also have to pay for TaxSlayer Classic to complete their return. 

For Military Members: TaxSlayer has been consistently known to support military members. They offer a free Federal return for military members using TaxSlayer Classic – with all forms and tax situations included (state is additional). Learn more about TaxSlayer Military here >>

Over the past several years, TaxSlayer has been making strides to become a premium tax filing software (without the big sticker price). This year, TaxSlayer earns a premium experience label. The service now offers completely guided navigation options. Users who aren’t sure how to file their taxes will find the refined guidance easy to use.

In addition to enhanced navigation, TaxSlayer has more “personalization” efforts built into the software. Easy to understand “interviews” help filers properly enter details about Advanced Child Tax Credit Payments, Stimulus Payments, and other important details.

In 2022, we named TaxSlayer the Best Tax Software For Landlords and the Best Tax Software For Small Business Owners. You can find the full rankings of the Best Tax Software here.

Overall, TaxSlayer simplifies tax filing for many people. It’s especially great software for landlords and self-employed people who need great calculators. TaxSlayer is designed to help people identify and properly claim overlooked expenses and deductions. Self-employed people and landlords can benefit from the TaxSlayer approach.

TaxSlayer provides premium tax filing software at discount prices. These are some of the notable advantages of using this robust software.

In 2022, TaxSlayer improved its navigation and now offers guided navigation through every section. Users can also jump to a new section using the navigation bar on the left-hand side of the software.

TaxSlayer includes “How this works” articles that highlight legitimate deductible expenses. These articles make it far easier for people to understand deductions they can take. Combined with other options (like “Ask a Pro”), filers can claim or not claim their expenses with confidence.

While most companies have “knowledge articles” built into their software, TaxSlayer is remarkable for the quality and applicability of these articles.

TaxSlayer Classic supports all major schedules and forms. That means that filers with self-employment or rental income can use the Classic option. For premium software, this is a real bargain.

TaxSlayer Premium includes unlimited one-on-one guidance from a tax professional. This support can happen over the phone or via live chat.

The Classic level of TaxSlayer includes IRS inquiry support for one year. TaxSlayer Premium includes IRS audit assistance from certified tax professionals for up to 3 years. Lastly, Self-Employed includes complete defense and legal representation from a tax pro in the case of an IRS audit for up to 3 years after the return is accepted.

While TaxSlayer offers an excellent product, it has a few drawbacks that should be pointed out.

However, TaxSlayer may not be ideal for active crypto or stock traders. The software doesn’t integrate directly with any stock brokerages. However, TaxSlayer is now allowing users to upload a CSV of their stock transactions. This is new in 2022.

TaxSlayer has a free pricing tier, but it it’s only applicable to select filers. To qualify, you must:

• Have less than $100,000 of taxable income
• Not claim any dependents
• Only have the following types of income: wages, salaries, tips, taxable interest of $1,500 or less, and/or unemployment compensation
• Claim the standard deduction

Filers who want to claim the Child Tax Credit or the Earned Income Tax Credit have to upgrade as do stock market investors or those who want to itemize deductions. 

TaxSlayer Pricing And Plans

TaxSlayer has a unique pricing strategy. Its “Classic” pricing supports all schedules and forms, but it doesn’t include Audit Support or advice from tax professionals. The higher-priced options allow users to upgrade for those options. 

How Does TaxSlayer Compare?

TaxSlayer is an incredibly robust and easy-to-use software, but it doesn’t directly integrate with any brokerage accounts. Because it doesn’t have those integrations, we’re comparing it to some bargain software (FreeTaxUSA and CashAppTax) and high-end software (H&R Block and TurboTax).

This year, we recommended TaxSlayer as the best tax software for Side Hustlers and Self-Employed people.

TaxSlayer uses best-in-class security. It requires multi-factor authentication and encrypts all data. But the company’s security policies haven’t always been this good. Back in 2015, TaxSlayer had a data breach in which 8,800 customers had their data stolen. The result of this breach was enhancements to security including the requirement to use multi-factor authentication.

Despite the cleaned-up security protocols, all tax filing products carry some risk. TaxSlayer (or any other provider) could have their cloud databases breached through a hack. Tax filers don’t have great alternatives to cloud-based tax filing services. However, they should take time to evaluate the risks before choosing any tax filing software.

TaxSlayer has a variety of support options – which is how they differentiate themselves. The most robust support help will be on their Premium and Self-Employed tiers. However, any customers can use their support form, chat service, or call their support phone number at 706-922-6741.

TaxSlayer has a solid customer service reputation online. The company is currently rated 4.3/5 on Trustpilot out of more than 15,500 customer reviews.

Unlike other software providers like TurboTax or H&R Block, TaxSlayer doesn’t offer a desktop version of its software. So the only ways to buy TaxSlayer’s cloud-based software is to visit its website or download its mobile app.

TaxSlayer offers an ideal blend of ease-of-use, quality, and cost. It’s the ideal tax software for self-employed people and landlords who need a great interface and great calculators.

People with simple filing situations may find that Cash App Taxes or H&R Block Free make more sense for them. But TaxSlayer offers premium software at a bargain price for many others.

Get started with TaxSlayer for free and try it out >>

Here are some common questions we get about TaxSlayer every year.

Can TaxSlayer help me file my crypto investments?

Yes, users can upload a CSV of their crypto transactions this year.

Can I request my stimulus check through TaxSlayer?

TaxSlayer allows filers to claim the Rebate Recovery Credit for 2021 through its software. This credit is applicable to the third stimulus check which was issued in 2021. Any money that wasn’t received will be added to the annual refund check.

I didn’t receive the full amount for Advanced Child Tax Credit Payments. Can TaxSlayer help me get the rest?

TaxSlayer has a great Covid-19 section that walks users through the various provisions associated with economic relief. TaxSlayer ensures that filers who didn’t receive the appropriate Child Tax Credit payments will be made whole through the annual tax refund. This support is available at the Classic level.

Can TaxSlayer help me with state filing in multiple states?

Yes, TaxSlayer supports multi-state filing. But filers must pay $36.95 per state.

Do I have to use the self-employed tier for my side hustle?

Technically, filers can use the Classic tier for self-employment and side hustling. Filers who want pro support from self-employment experts can upgrade to the most expensive Self-Employed tier.

Does TaxSlayer offer refund advance loans?

In 2022, TaxSlayer is not advertising refund advance loans. It does have a relationship with Green Dot Bank and allows unbanked people to receive their funds on a TaxSlayer debit card issued through Green Dot Bank. But this option does not entitle people to receive funds any earlier than normal.

Does TaxSlayer offer any deals on refunds?

TaxSlayer offers a “file and go” option where fees are deducted from a filer’s refund. However, this comes with an additional cost.

Is TaxSlayer better than TurboTax?

It depends. We found TaxSlayer to be better on price and pretty good on usability. TurboTax does offer one of the easiest to use interfaces, though, and it can make tax filing easy.

What are the alternatives to TaxSlayer?

TurboTax is the biggest competitor to TaxSlayer. You can also look at FreeTaxUSA, H&R Block, and TaxAct. Check out our list of TaxSlayer Alternatives here.