OnLine Taxes

What OnLine Taxes is

OnLine Taxes is web-based tax preparation software from OnLine Taxes, a maker founded in 1999 and based in St. Joseph, Missouri, United States. Its Free Edition covers federal return preparation, printing, and e-filing, and includes all supported forms and schedules, email customer support, and prior-year data import. The edition supports investment income, rental income, and self-employment income. Premium Edition costs $7.95 a month and adds email, live-chat, and phone support, audit support, year-over-year comparison, online account access, and lifetime customer support. State filing is offered as a separate paid plan: State Tax Return costs $9.95 a month, billed per state. That plan supports multiple states and nonresident and part-year returns where available. The pricing model is freemium, with a free option for federal returns and paid options for premium features and state returns. Access is through the web, and mobile access is web-only. The plan choices separate free federal return preparation from paid state filing and the support and account features included with Premium Edition. Users considering the service can prepare, print, and e-file a federal return in the free edition, then choose the relevant paid plan for state returns or Premium Edition features.

Who it suits

OnLine Taxes suits people seeking web-based federal tax preparation, including those with investment, rental, or self-employment income. It may also suit users who want paid state filing or the extra support and account features in Premium Edition.

Limits

Free Edition covers federal returns; state filing is a separate paid option at $9.95 a month, billed per state. Premium Edition costs $7.95 a month and includes the listed additional support, audit, comparison, and account features.

Getting started

1. Open the OnLine Taxes website in a web browser.
2. Choose Free Edition for federal return preparation, printing, and e-filing.
3. Import prior-year data if needed.
4. Choose Premium Edition for its additional support and account features, if wanted.
5. Add State Tax Return for each state return needed.

Verdict

Choose OnLine Taxes if you want web-based federal preparation with a free edition that supports investment, rental, and self-employment income. Look elsewhere if you need mobile access beyond the web, or account for the separate per-state charge when filing state returns.