Serial Fix Bamboocharters. • Pros Good navigation tools, user interface, and IRS schedule support. Phone and chat help. Thorough review process. Price Lock guarantee. • Cons Some help links lead directly to IRS documents.

Expensive per-state filing. • Bottom Line TaxAct Online Plus features an excellent user interface, navigation, and help tools. Furthermore, its low federal e-filing cost makes it one of the best values among tax preparation services this year. TaxAct Online Plus has probably undergone fewer changes than any other we reviewed since last year. The only major differences are changes in its version lineup. It looks and works much like it has in the last few years, which is to say it's an excellent option for taxpayers.

TaxACT, free and safe download. TaxACT latest version: Get your tax return ready the easy way. TaxACT is a desktop application that will help U.S. Wage earners file.

It supports a generous number of IRS schedules (A, B, D, and E), so you can use this version for pretty much any situation except self-employment/small business. Its user experience and help tools are better than those of any other service except TurboTax Deluxe, though its federal version is notably cheaper ( state filing costs about the same). TaxAct won an Editors' Choice last year along with TurboTax, but this year the service's lack of substantial changes means the sole award goes to TurboTax Deluxe, which continues to innovate. Pricing and Versions TaxAct broke the price barrier when it introduced completely free online personal tax preparation and e-filing (both federal and state) several years ago. It no longer does so; its free product only covers the 1040EZ and 1040A, and there's a $15 charge to import last year's return. These days, is the only service that supports all the major forms and schedules (both federal and state) for free. Of course, you get what you pay for, and what you're not paying for (and don't get) with Credit Karma Tax is a deep and thorough help system.