The Best Tax Software Values for 2020

We tested nine of the most popular tax software programs to see which ones offer the best overall value. You might be surprised who's #1.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Kiplinger is refeaturing our rankings of the best values in tax software as we approach the July 15 deadline for filing your 2019 tax return. Prices are as of January 2020; they may have changed, so check each product for current rates.

It's that time of year again. You've gotten your W-2s and any other paperwork, such as a 1099 for your investment income, in the mail, and you're ready to sit down and do your taxes (which aren't due until July 15 this year). But you're unsure of which program to use. We're here to help.

As in previous years, we reviewed nine of the most popular online tax preparation software programs for 2019 returns, including TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct and others, to help guide you to the right program. In addition to reviewing, we ranked them based on cost, ease of use, tax help and more. Our goal is to identify the online products that provide the best overall value.

To help keep everything equal, we created two fictional tax returns using each product. The first return was for a single taxpayer with just W-2 income. The second return was for a married couple with a young child and a mortgage. (For more information about our hypothetical taxpayers, scroll to Methodology slide at the end of this article).

Just remember: Know thy tax situation, as it will determine the best program for you. Here are the rankings, from the online software that offers the least to the one providing the most bang for your buck. (Note that, although some companies also offer CD products which may have different features, we only reviewed web-based software.)

Disclaimer

All prices as of January 31, 2020.

Sandra Block
Senior Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Block joined Kiplinger in June 2012 from USA Today, where she was a reporter and personal finance columnist for more than 15 years. Prior to that, she worked for the Akron Beacon-Journal and Dow Jones Newswires. In 1993, she was a Knight-Bagehot fellow in economics and business journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has a BA in communications from Bethany College in Bethany, W.Va.