# FreeTaxUSA

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/freetaxusa/

20 people recommended FreeTaxUSA in Hacker News comments, 2 had mixed feelings and 5 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 12 months, in 8 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

These are opinions from Hacker News comments, not financial advice.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a cheap, easy filer that handles complicated returns, with free federal filing and a small state fee. Common caveat: no AMT support.

Summary written by Claude from 25 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Low cost, free federal filing (4 comments in the sample): "Reasonably priced & their forms are good for my fairly uncomplicated setup" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45843481)) "provides free federal tax filing and a nominal fee for state filing" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45842822)) "Better interface, lower cost (truly free for federal, no catch" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50050931))
- Easy, clean interface (3 comments in the sample): "It's been good for so long I hope it doesn't get popular and go to shit." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48218592)) "It was very easy and I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48217469)) "it's like a breath of fresh air" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50282633))
- Handles complicated returns (2 comments in the sample): "Hate to sound like a shill, but they've been great…" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48218542)) "I've done complicated schedule K, etc forms on it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48220543))
- Works as well as TurboTax (2 comments in the sample): "it’s as good, if not better and not a scam with dark patterns" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45842904)) "works as well as turbotax" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48216834))

## What people warn about

- Missing some tax cases or forms (3 comments in the sample): "I had to abandon FreeTaxUSA for TurboTax because the latter handled an important case I needed better" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50280563)) "Freetaxusa still can’t import many and various investment account forms" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50051373)) "Unfortunately doesn't work with foreign addresses." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48219115))

## Other tax software people recommend

- [TurboTax](https://hackerapproved.com/p/turbotax/): 12 recommend, 13 mixed, 57 criticize
- [IRS Free File Fillable Forms](https://hackerapproved.com/p/irs-free-file-fillable-forms/): 11 recommend, 2 mixed, 5 criticize
- [Cash App Taxes](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cash-app-taxes/): 5 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "FreeTaxUSA", https://hackerapproved.com/p/freetaxusa/ (20 recommend, 2 mixed, 5 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.