TaxSlayer Conclusion

TaxSlayer offers average tax products at prices lower than those offered by TurboTax and H&R Block. TaxSlayer products received average scores on Ease of Use, Tax Support and Tech Support, but their lack of an Accuracy Guarantee makes them slightly less reliable than their competitors. The biggest advantage is the low price, but the difficulties with using the software and the overall lack of features offered by competitors make it less desirable than software offered by TurboTax, H&R Block or TaxAct.

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TaxSlayer’s tax products offer somewhat difficult navigation and minimal on-screen guidance. TaxSlayer does not double-check your W-2 for errors, which is not standard among the companies we’ve reviewed. If you want to upgrade your product at any point while filing out your return, you will have to start over completely on your tax return after you’ve upgraded, which is a pain. TaxSlayer does include helper text bubbles that explain jargon and guide you through your tax return. The software warns you to save your progress before changes are lost and lets you bookmark or flag pages you want to return to. TaxSlayer also shows you a refund meter that calculates your refund and an audit triggers meter that calculates your chance of being audited. You can access past returns for the past two years for an additional fee of $9.95 per federal return and $4.95 per state return.

TaxSlayer offers email tax support for all products, and they offer free phone support only for the Classic and Premium product levels. Contact TaxSlayer for their support availability this tax season. TaxSlayer offers audit support, which helps you find out why the IRS contacted you, determine what it means, and prepare your next steps. Unlike TurboTax, they do not offer Audit Defense, which means they would fully represent you in case of an audit.

TaxSlayer’s tech support is average; they offer phone and email support, but no live chat support. Wait times for phone support are minimal; email support has an advertised response time of 24-36 hours, but we received a response within three hours during our testing period. During tax season, wait times may vary with increased demand. Tech support is available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST.

TaxSlayer is owned by Rhodes Financial Services and has been in business for 14 years. TaxSlayer does not offer an Accuracy Guarantee, which would reimburse you in the event you are assessed a penalty based on a miscalculation on the part of this tax company. Other companies we’ve reviewed, such as TurboTax, TaxAct and H&R Block, offer an Accuracy Guarantee. TaxSlayer does offer a Maximum Refund Guarantee, which ensures you get the biggest tax refund possible using their system.

TaxSlayer offers some of the lowest cost tax products we have reviewed. The cost to file your federal tax return is free to $19.95,, depending on which product fits your needs. If you need to purchase a state add-on, it will cost you $14.90 for the first state and $4.95 for each additional state, which is fairly cheap when compared to competing products from other brands. You pay the total price only after you file your return.