The Best Tax Software Programs of 2019

         The Best Tax Software Programs of 2019. Take Your Business to New Heights with Top NATP-Rated Tax Software. Start Your Free Trial! All-Inclusive Tax Software. Award-Winning Technical & Customer Support. Get Your Free Demo. Types: Web (Cloud-based), Classic, Premium, Bank Products, Tax Research Library.

        If you've never used a personal tax preparation website, 2019 is the year to start. New tax laws and forms have altered the 1040 landscape significantly, making manual prep harder than ever. The best tax software can make filing your taxes a whole lot easier.

         These software options have you covered. Some of them are actually free—yes, free, at least for filers with simple returns.

Best Tax Preparation Software Featured in This :

Best Overall: TurboTax

        TurboTax is arguably the name in personal tax preparation software, and its developer—Intuit—charges accordingly. You’ll pay top dollar for this one, but users and experts alike seem to think it’s worth it. It scores kudos in almost every category, from user experience to being able to import a good many employer tax IDs. You can take pictures of your W-2s and 1099 forms rather than type in all the information they include, risking typos and mistakes.  There’s an “Expense Finder” feature if you’re self-employed and must file Schedule C. It can lift potentially tax-deductible expenditures directly from your bank account and categorize them, add them up, and input them accordingly. The 2019 version will search more than 350 tax deductions and credits for you to see if you qualify after you enter your personal information.

Runner-Up, Best Overall: H&RBlock

          H&R Block Premium does just about everything that TurboTax does at just slightly less cost. So why does it drop to second place? It’s mostly a matter of opinion. Reviewers and users tend to clap for TurboTax first, but it’s a very close race.

H&R Block is chatty and friendly, too, asking questions and deciphering your answers as you prepare your tax return. But H&R Block isn’t always as efficient at deciphering your answers. You might hit that brick wall more often, but you can either dig for informational answers in the Help window or solicit unlimited live professional tax advice through the website.

Best Bargain: TaxAct Premium

         TaxAct is often mentioned in the same breath with TurboTax and H&R Block, but it has something going for it that those two competitors don’t share: It’s really inexpensive. Better yet, it offers a price lock guarantee. You can begin your return early in the year with most software, but, as mentioned, TurboTax and H&R Block will begin ratcheting up their costs as you get closer to the tax deadline without actually filing. Not so with TaxAct. You’ll pay the same no matter how long it takes you to finish your return and file: $34.95 in 2019, although this doesn’t include a state return.

 Best Free Software: Credit Karma

          Credit Karma used to be the new kid on the block, and it showed in some respects. But that was then and this is now. The company first launched into tax preparation in 2016, and it’s made some significant improvements in time for the 2019 filing season. Both state and federal returns are still 100 percent free.

         Some users initially had problems with the handholding and help functions, but Credit Karma took care of that and has upgraded its customer service. Chat help is now available. Phone support is still lacking, but that’s something of a rarity among software providers anyway—at least without an extra fee. The interface has come a long way as well, with some additional help features added, including a searchable “help” database.

Best Wizard: Jackson Hewitt Premium

         Jackson Hewitt’s contribution to tax software will cost you a little less than H&R Block and TurboTax, and you’ll get a really efficient and extensive wizard in return—that feature that walks you through a series of questions then spits out a completed tax return based on your answers. The Jackson Hewitt wizard covers just about every conceivable tax situation for personal filers.

         Jackson Hewitt Premium can handle complex tax situations, although you can’t count on explanatory popups to tell you why it’s done what it’s done, at least not in every situation. There are help topic links, however, as well as readily available links for live support, something most other tax software developers don’t offer. Then again, Jackson Hewitt has more than 6,000 brick-and-mortar locations, so the company is really positioned to offer this service. And it offers the “No Fee Refund Advance” up to $3,500, even in the face of the 2019 government shutdown.

Best Simple Data Entry Option:TaxSlayer

        TaxSlayer was initially designed for tax professionals, then it branched out to help individuals prepare their personal returns in the 1990s. It’s 100 percent web-based, so you can access it from just about any device.

          The neat thing about TaxSlayer is its “Quick File” option. This should particularly appeal to users who cringe at the idea of spending hours inputting their tax information in a sequential order that’s dictated by the program. Some competitors will allow you to jump around to different aspects of your return, tackling whatever you want to tackle next, but TaxSlayer’s Quick File process for this is particularly efficient. It’s cued by simply typing in a keyword rather than hunting through lists of links.

 Best for Savvy Tax Filers: Liberty Tax

        Liberty Tax also lets you decide what aspects of a return you want to work on when you want to work on them, presented in chronological order, and it offers recommendations. This program will effectively tap you on the shoulder and ask if you want to file this, that or the other tax form to potentially save some tax dollars. It helps if you already understand what those tax forms are. Otherwise, you might be left a little in the dark.

What Is the Easiest Tax Software to Use?

         If this is the first time you've ever considered tackling this project yourself, we recommend H&R Block, our Editor's Choice, this year. TurboTax has won this award numerous times in the past, and it also remains an exceptional family of digital tax products. H&R Block, though, has improved its website in numerous ways since last year. It offers a more state-of-the-art user experience, with exceptionally accessible, understandable guidance. That support and guidance makes a complex process easy—or at least easier. It's fast, it's a great value, it's built on decades of tax knowledge, and it's the best for the 2018 tax year.