An online tax filing service walks you through preparing your federal and state income tax returns and then submits them electronically to the IRS and your state tax agency. You answer questions about your income, deductions, and credits; the software fills in the right forms; and you e-file when it is ready. The appeal is speed and convenience — you can file from home without mailing paper forms or doing the math by hand.
The services on this page differ mainly on price, the range of situations they support, and how guided the experience feels. Some are built to be inexpensive for straightforward returns; others lean on a long track record. This comparison weighs price, supported forms, and ease of filing so you can match a service to how complicated your return actually is.
One important boundary: these are tax-filing tools, not tax-resolution firms. They prepare and submit returns. They do not represent you before the IRS, negotiate a payment plan, or settle a dispute. If that is what you need, see the note below — a tax attorney is the right kind of help.