1040.com has been in business since 1977 under Drake Software, the parent company that builds tax software and business solutions for several companies in the industry. Built by tax professionals, 1040.com makes it easy to file your taxes and get your tax return. The website boasts that 175 people helped build the 1040.com online platform, and more than 21 million tax returns were filed through the website in the last tax season.

Drake Software and 1040.com claim to be tax geeks; many of the company's employees are CPAs and tax lawyers, making it easy for a customer to file their 1040 form online. Dealing with the IRS can get complicated. No matter the tax situation, the 1040.com software will provide step-by-step instructions to help get you the correct tax forms, check for accuracy, and get you the fastest tax refund possible on your state and federal tax return.

Also, for every tax return filed on 1040.com, the company donates $2 to clean water projects.

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The Good

One-Price Guarantee
Advanced Software
Automatically Suggested Deductions
Company Blog
Mobile-Friendly Site
Supported Forms

One-Price Guarantee

Recently, 1040.com changed its pricing structure. Although the company removed its free filing option, it now offers a flat-rate model. And it's only $25 to prepare and file both federal and state taxes (plus any applicable sales tax for the federal and state tax returns).

Advanced Software

Drake Software's 1040.com tax filing solution is based on its proprietary tax software product. There are many different software solutions, including GruntWorx, that make it easy for users to manage their documents. GruntWorx is a secure cloud-based paradigm that automates the tax preparation process. In the 1040.com platform, clients can transform their preparation and organization of forms through a unique cloud server that stores tax documents securely and safely.

Drake Software also has several webinars and blogs that advise clients on tax prep solutions, the latest IRS reforms, and other trending information in the industry. Drake has also won several awards in the industry, including the CPA Practice Advisor's Readers' Choice Award and First Place in the AICPA Software Survey, which includes Best Software for a new practice.

Automatically Suggested Deductions

The company has an abundance of deduction resources on its website. People can go to learn about standard and itemized deductions, as well as different ways one can use deductibles. The helpful information 1040.com provides about deducting state and local taxes is thorough and was written for the benefit of the customer. There are a lot of useful tips in the "Tax Savings Strategies" portion of the site, as well as crucial deductible information for those who are self-employed. Tax preparers may also get an estimated tax refund through the free 1040.com Tax Refund Calculator App.

Company Blog

We found the blog to be particularly helpful. Customers can learn a little bit more about how to include our donations with state and federal tax filings and how to get a receipt stating the "fair market value" of the items donated and not the price paid when they were purchased.

Mobile-Friendly Site

1040.com is also mobile-friendly. This is always a bonus for any company because it makes filing taxes more convenient. The process can be started and completed anywhere you go.

Supported Forms

The company offers 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ forms for basic tax preparation. If you need advanced tax preparation, it also provides forms like the Schedule C for profit or loss in business, the Schedule E for supplemental loss and income, and more.

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The Bad

Additional Costs

Additional Costs

While it's only $25 to file both your federal and state tax returns, 1040.com does have a few other services that will cost customers extra. Of course, these services are optional and not required.

The company allows customers to decide if they'd like to pay using their refund or by credit/debit card. 1040.com's E-collect does cost an extra $24.95. But it's an excellent alternative for consumers who would rather not use their debit or credit card.

Another optional service that customers may want is Audit Protection. 1040.com does offer a robust Audit Protection service to all its filers through Protection Plus. Protection Plus is a third-party company and some customers may not feel as comfortable having their information shared with a separate company. But once again, this service is entirely optional. If a customer does want to purchase Audit Protection, it will cost them an additional $29.95.

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The Bottom Line

Overall, we would recommend going with another company if you are filing your taxes. We did like the following aspects of 1040.com:

One-Price Guarantee which includes state at no extra cost (no matter how many states are needed)
A good collection of blog articles that addressed a wide array of different issues.
An easy-to-use tax forms system that is backed by Drake Software's proprietary GruntWorx preparation system with step-by-step instructions

However, customers should be prepared to pay a bit more for extra services such as E-collect and Protection Plus's Audit Protection.

For a single W-2 situation, 1040.com might be a good tax service to use. However, you might find that the website is a little bit cumbersome for larger tax situations. In complicated tax situations, it might be best to use a professional tax preparation service.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

1.9

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35 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

17%

4 grade

3 grade

2 grade

1 grade

71%

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Jeremy Smith Mooresville, NC

Filed my taxes with 1040.com this year after seeing the price hikes that Turbo/others were taking. The flat price was appealing to me and turned out to actually be too. They may not have all the features of the other guys, but nonetheless they got the job done at more than half the price. I definitely recommend.

1 year ago

Reply from 1040.com

Thanks so much for the review, Jeremy! We're delighted you had a great experience, especially with our new flat-rate pricing. Hope to make your taxes smart and simple again next year!

Feb. 10th, 2020

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Claudia Camas, WA

1040 Tax Service is thorough, friendly and very trustworthy. They recently moved and sent me detailed information, so I could easily find them in their new location just across the street from the Vancouver Public Library. I would highly recommend this company to others seeking friendly and qualified tax preparation. Sincerely, Claudia Heacock

2 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Claudia! While we certainly appreciate the 5 star review, we believe you might have the wrong company. is a do-it-yourself tax-filing platform, and we run our online-only service from Western North Carolina. We hope you're able to find the 1040 Tax Service that did such a great job and give them the praise they deserve!

Jan. 22nd, 2020

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Patricia Parrent Buffalo, NY

I used this site for the first time this year - super easy to do - and i had a question about my state return - i used the online chat and they created a ticket and emailed me the solution in about a half hour...My Federal tax was filed and accepted overnight!! And it was free!! Will use again next year - Thank you!!

3 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

We're delighted you had such a great experience, Patricia! Thanks for your review!

Jan. 27th, 2020

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William Burden ,

Had an issue with getting my passcode with irs to complete filing after I made pymt to 1040.com for 16 bucks for state taxes. Never fully completed the process. But I didn’t owe so I waited til next year to clear up the mess. 1040.com deleted info and claimed they charged me for me to use their online software not to do the filing then deleted the very information I was charged for. It’s not a huge loss but deleting my info I was planning to reuse and paid for is pushing me away from coming back. So just be cautious of counting on them to keep your forms as they also didn’t make them available to me in this circumstance. Online service was quick to fall back in terms of service instead of offering a solution or trying to help with getting forms back. I’ll trust other software moving forward.

1 year ago

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Rebecca Pattillo Austin, TX

I do not recommend this company for doing your taxes, especially with state taxes they do not ask you upfront some important questions that can lead to you missing deductions. Additionally, many of their forms are named differently than the corresponding tax forms, so you have to go searching a while to find what you need. I also found their customer service agent to be very unhelpful.

1 year ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Rebecca! Thanks for your feedback - could you point us to the mismatched form names and deductions you missed on your state return? We certainly want to address any potential issues for our users!

Feb. 4th, 2020

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Estate Nashville, TN

Pay1040 did not send my payment to the IRS. Pay1040 does not have a dispute resolution process. The company confirmed payment & then sent an email on a holiday that stated the payment would be refunded instead of being sent to the IRS. I called on Sunday to resolve the issue & was told the payment was already refunded. I wrote on Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday to resolve the issue. On Wednesday, I was told the payment was refunded the prior Saturday. I was later told they couldn't refund it on Saturday, but that it was refunded on Monday despite my reported error & multiple requests for resolution. Pay1040 does not follow regulatory requirements.

2 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Estate! We'd like to clear up any confusion - and Pay1040 are two different websites. We at are a do-it-yourself tax filing platform, not a payment portal to the IRS. We are very sorry you had a poor experience with Pay1040, and hope that things worked out in the long run. In the meantime, we’d be extremely grateful if you sent a request to to move this review to Pay1040.

Jan. 22nd, 2020

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Rose Buffalo, NY

I thought I was going to be charged 44.90 but apparently when you opt to have the fees deducted from your refund they tack on another 24.95 but this is NOT CLEARLY itemized with your total fees. It only lists the state fee and the federal fee and nothing else. So they charged me 69.85. If they were clear about these extra fees I would have never opted to use this service. I have used them for years but will not again. Also their customer service is lacking. They have email and live chat but they time you out of live chat before you can explain your problem. They have no phone support either . I would stay away. Also they say "free" but that is not true.

3 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

We’re sorry there was confusion about pricing when you filed with us. Our goal this year is to be crystal clear with pricing, so we've switched to a flat-rate pricing structure that means everyone files their federal and state taxes for just $25. If you're hoping to file for free, we understand if you look somewhere else - but we hope you'll give another shot! Thanks for your feedback!

Jan. 27th, 2020

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Shane Newell Colorado Springs, CO

I used 1040.com for years to file my taxes for free. This year they said they would charge me me $33 to file my federal taxes. I have a confirmation screen that showing "My Payment $33.71". I was charged $60 instead. I tried to contact them but they only have chat support. There is no phone number and if you call the parent company Drake Software they won't give you a phone number, only an email. I emailed and was told that I was charged correctly, even after I sent a screen shot showing my real charge. This company commits tax preparation fraud and has no contact method to correct. Avoid at all costs.

3 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

We’re sorry there was confusion about pricing when you filed with us. If you added Protection Plus or paid from your refund, those are separate services that we offer at checkout after detailing your e-file fees. Our goal this year is to be crystal clear with pricing, so we've switched to a flat-rate pricing structure that means everyone files their federal and state taxes for just $25! We still make the other services available, but they are 100% optional and can be skipped at checkout. We hope you'll give another shot this year! Thanks for your feedback!

Jan. 27th, 2020

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Victor pena Chula Vista, CA

They should be on the worst company website. 1040.com is not a respectable and trustworthy company,they should not be handling people's sensitive information. I'm reporting them to the irs criminal investigation unit and anyone else that will listen. They had me believe that I would get my money deposited into my bank account and they specifically asked for bank aba routing # and acct#. Well the where's my refund date is March 2 if nothing by the 7th contact bank. So ok i call bank and they no nothing of the sort they suggest calling irs to make sure the numbers and information are correct. Irs tells me that the money was paid out to a third party's bank account which I supposedly authorized and that it was paid out on the second. So I go crazy because there's no way of reaching them. I see they have a face book and I send them a friend request with a message asking them what the next step is n saying that I'm down for some extra fees n all but come on wtf! They respond within the hour and give me another number to eps financial and they tell me that they sent out a debit card from E1 visa prepaid card account. But that they Sent it to the wrong adress that they would be sending me another one and charging me 40 dlls extra because it would be express delivery. Now this was on Monday the 7th and I have not received anything not a . Penny and I also asked about my state refund and they said they don't know anything about it. When I have e-mails from them confirming that it was accepted by state. Also after I called on Monday they sent me two emails one was the e1 cardholder agreement with the link to activate the card once I got it, so how come I'm barely getting info if supposedly they had already sent it. They had my address wrong not my email. The number is (484)5462240 and 18663318756 for the card. What gets me is when u call the card number they say (to activate a card press 1, to check on refund status press2.) So I press 2 and it says to log on to www.wheresmyrefund.com. Because their agents couldn't tell . 1040.com should not be allowed to keep stealing people's hard earned money. The biggest crook of all gave me my money back but not so u could keep it.

5 years ago

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Taxpayer Wilson ,

I used this service around 2014. And I was in love I told all my friends an family to use 1040.com an that was when their services were free. Here's my issue for the 2019 year I used them even though I saw a 25.00 charge now. My mistake. To my surprise fees were deducted from both federal an state tax refunds. This is unacceptable an highly very disappointed.

1 year ago

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Nick La Grande, OR

Rating: 0 I used them to pay my federal taxes as it was an option given by my tax preparer. I was issued a receipt of payment and my money was taken. However!! 1040.com are crooks as they never sent my payment to IRS! Stay clear of this company. They will take your money and cause a nightmare with IRS. IRS is threatening to levy my property. Eventhough I sent IRS documentation of my payment, they say nothing they can do. I have to resolve through 1040.com and that's been a joke!

1 year ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Nick! If you used the website only to pay, the site was probably actually , not . We are a do-it-yourself tax filing platform, not a payment portal like . Since it's a do-it-yourself platform, tax preparers don't send their clients to our website, but sending clients to a payment portal like would make sense. Hope this helps clear things up! We are very sorry you had a poor experience with the other site. We’d be extremely grateful if you sent a request to to move this review to the appropriate company; it would be a tremendous help to us.

Jan. 22nd, 2020

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Leanette Grand Rapids, MI

I wish I could rate them 0 stars. They tried to royally rip me off. After completing my Federal return (I'd opted out of the state), and downloading my PDF copy, I got to the payment-options page, and suddenly my refund had been reduced over $1000. WTF! Their "chat" session was a joke. Tried 3x before a 3rd rep promised to issue me a "support ticket". Whatever. I've used 1040 the previous year, with no hassles. Never again.

3 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

We're sorry you had such a negative experience, Leanette - we would never intentionally try to reduce your refund, but we'll make sure our Customer Care team is accessible to work through technical issues like this. Thanks for your feedback!

Jan. 27th, 2020

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Nathan Krauss

They charged me for nothing. I was billed before even completing the filing process, and in the end I wasn't able to file because it said the amounts on two different lines didn't match, even though they did. I had to redo all of the work and paper file, despite the fact that they already charged me for $33. Please do not use this website. Because it's all automated, you don't know the values that they are filling in for some boxes and a lot of the numbers I found on my return thru the site seemed very random.

4 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi, Nathan! Thanks for your feedback. We want to clarify that we never charge before the end of the filing process, especially if there is an issue on the return. Until the return is sent to the IRS, we don't collect the service fee. Could you provide more detail so we can pinpoint the issue? We certainly don't want to charge for a service we didn't provide!

Jan. 27th, 2020

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Elvira Tootsie

This must be the worst website to file your taxes that I found on the IRS website. I started the process today April 18th at 6:00 pm pst till 8:00 pm. I was getting an oops error messages like over 100 times and it was so frustrating and they charged me $14.95 for nothing! I am very disappointed. I will never do my own taxes on 1040.com. I will be calling them to get my money back,that's if there's a live person to talk to. I tried the live chat and emailing them and kept getting the same error message. I definitely do not recommend this website.

4 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Elvira! We're sorry you had such a poor experience; however, we're happy to report that feedback like yours has helped us streamline our tax-filing walkthrough to be one of the best in the industry. Plus, to make pricing simple and fair for everyone, we've adopted a flat-rate price of $25 - so everyone knows what they're going to pay before they log in, and no one has to pay until they're 100% satisfied. Thanks for your feedback, and we hope you'll give another shot!

Jan. 23rd, 2020

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Alexis Chicago, IL

Went with them because it was an option on the IRS website, I got locked out of my account and you can only access the "help" button if you're signed in. The other option is to email them. They responded after 15 minutes, however, they only offer customer support via email. I told them I couldn't sign in and that the website was not sending me my forgotten login as it says it was. They told me to try it again. After trying, it made no difference. They then told me to just create a new account and that I'd have to re-pay for their services.

4 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Alexis! We're sorry for the technical difficulties, and we'll certainly use your feedback to make the login process more effective. We would like to clarify that you wouldn't have to pay twice for the service, however, because we do not charge until you finish your taxes and send them to the IRS. We apologize if we did not make that clear! Thanks for leaving feedback!

Jan. 23rd, 2020

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Nicki Dawson Matthews, NC

I found this site extremely easy to use. I had difficulty finding a form I needed to file with my taxes. They helped me locate and add the form with ease. Will use again.

5 years ago

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Carl Boyd Chicago, IL

Thanks to 1040.com, I now have my routing and account number memorized, because I was forced to re-type it 3 TIMES. Why didn't their system remember all my direct deposit info, but it could remember my security PIN number at the very end?! And when there was an ID error in one of my W2's, and the IRS rejected it, they decided I qualified for twice the service fee, even though my income and refund hadn't changed. Well, it did change, after they decided they'd double-dip at my expense. Crappy, crappy automated service.

5 years ago

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shannon unruh Albuquerque, NM

Do not use this company I paid $59.90 for there service and Irs and state kept rejecting my taxes so I called them and they said is was because of 1040.com or so they thought just a speculation and they recommend that I use another online for my taxes such as turbo tax and so I did and sure enough my taxes were accepted that night and now I have to dispute the charges for services that I never received DO Not use 1040.com

5 years ago

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Amara Ashley Newport, TN

Be warned! They advertise $25 flat rate fee but then add on fees before you file. Totaled $52 for me. False advertising. Also, if you have a problem, they won’t help. This will be the LAST year I use them!! Three strikes, you’re out!!

1 year ago

Reply from 1040.com

Thanks for your feedback, Amara! We'd like to clarify that the extra charge was not to file your taxes - it was for one of the additional products we make available at checkout that are 100% optional. If you added either the Protection Plus audit support service or the e-Collect pay-with-your-refund service, they have their own fees that apply accordingly. We're sorry you had a frustrating experience, and would like to point you to our Customer Care team for any help needed - you can access chat via the Help menu once you log in. Thanks for your feedback!

Feb. 4th, 2020

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Michael Foley Chicago, IL

I just tried to open an account. The username was too short, but it didn't tell me that until after i clicked submit. Now it won't let me fix the account name, and won't let me submit for a different account under my current email. website designed by amateurs.

2 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Michael! Our website does actually allow multiple accounts per email address – we’d love to get to the bottom of what’s holding you up! You can get in touch with our support team at . Hope to hear from you soon!

Apr. 18th, 2019

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Sid mounedji Orlando, FL

The worst experience I ever had it’s with this company ,?I believe the people that work there whether the management or the customer service has no soul . They are not human they could care less about you ...they just want to get paid they are $2.50 fee

2 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Sid! It sounds like the website you used was acutally , not . We don't have any price tags of $2.50, and our Customer Care team is one of the best in the business. We are very sorry you had a poor experience with the other site, and we’d be extremely grateful if you sent a request to to move this review to the appropriate company!

Jan. 22nd, 2020

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Shelby M

If I could give less than 1 star I would. Terrible customer service, no explanation that I would be unable to sign into my account from overseas. Robotic replies from the "customer service representatives". No Facebook page, no response on Twitter. Wish I had realised it was all a bit shady before filing my return.

3 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Shelby! Could you be referring to , instead of ? We do have a Facebook page and a great Customer Care team that is on the spot when it comes to social media interaction. If is the service you're reviewing, would you be so kind as to move your review to their profile? It would help our ratings immensely! If, on the other hand, you do mean , we'd love to use your feedback to better our services. Thanks for the review!

Jan. 22nd, 2020

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Pat Dunellen, NJ

Did my kids taxes in about 15 minutes. Most of the time was wasted trying to figure out what email I should use.

3 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

We're thrilled you had such a simple experience, Pat! Thanks for your review!

Jan. 27th, 2020

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JLizKernan

HORRIBLE. They are deceptive and unethical. "Wynette" is the worst customer service rep and the reason we are canceling 3 accounts. They have billed our account without rendering any service and make no apologies for it. Very misleading business practices. Be very WARY of this company.

4 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi JLizKernan! We think you may be mistaking us for another company - we don't make any charges until after you've finished your taxes and send them to the IRS. Could you have used ? Thanks for your feedback!

Jan. 23rd, 2020

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Bob Glob

I went here because it appeared on the first page of my Google search. One page I entered my W2 info only to find it had timed out and I had to start over. I checked some reviews and then went to a paid site. Same data and the other site reported about $2000 less in taxes owed. Pay a little and do it right!

4 years ago

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Jeff Martin Layton, UT

Had some tax questions and I found a lot of answers from them. I would recommend checking out if you need help with your taxes.

3 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Thanks, Jeff! We work hard to keep our Tax Guide and Blog up-to-date and helpful to everyone!

Jan. 22nd, 2020

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Ms. Jay ,

I like nothing about this company; you get what you pay for. There was an error on my return and they gave me no information how to correct it. No customer support, no professional advice, a big "nothing burger".

1 year ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Ms. Jay! We'd love to help you out - if you log in and go to our Help menu, you can chat with our Customer Care team and we'll get things sorted!

Mar. 9th, 2020

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Daniel Ward Meridian, MS

Used for many years, and used others: free and paid. Turbox is the best

3 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Thanks for the feedback, Daniel! We're working on getting that top spot!

Jan. 27th, 2020

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Angelo Villafane Eugene, OR

Difficult to contact directly and when I did get ahold of a service associate they didn't even read my email before firing back a piece of useless advice.

5 years ago

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draper Kellogg, IA

Was told on the Iowa Tax site they provide free tax filings and when you get to the state part they charge!! FRAUD!! Stay away from this place

2 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Draper! We’re sorry there was confusion about the cost of our state return when you filed with us last April. This year, we've switched to a flat-rate pricing structure that means everyone files their federal and state taxes for just $25. That includes as many states as you need! However, if you're hoping to file for free, we understand if you look somewhere else. Thanks for your feedback!

Jan. 22nd, 2020

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Ryan Gaston Northfield, OH

I was also charged for nothing. When I asked for a refund they denied it, stating they charged me for the calculations not the filing...

4 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Hi Ryan! We see where the confusion might be coming from - whether or not a taxpayer gets a refund each year is determined by how much you paid in taxes throughout the year. Only people who paid more taxes than they owed throughout the year get a refund. It's possible that you didn't overpay your taxes, hence the "missing" refund. As for the charge, any payment to is a service fee to file your taxes on our website, and even users without a refund still have to pay for the service. We hope this helps clear things up - thanks for your feedback!

Jan. 27th, 2020

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Kimberly Romanesky Tenoever Durham, NC

Worked GREAT for submitting my kids 1040EZ's and State Returns.

4 years ago

Reply from 1040.com

Thanks for the review, Kimberly! Glad to make your taxes simple!

Jan. 23rd, 2020

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Evan Gilbert, AZ

My tax return was totally screwed up a d in my rush to file I paid the fees and hit send before thoroughly reviewing it. Scam scam scam...run!

5 years ago

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Mike Vincent Orange Park, FL

No telephone support, and their EPS product leaves much to be desired. Charged me way too much 39.95 to file my taxes.

5 years ago

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Dave Gealekman Derby, CT

There is no login page for returning users on the mobile version of their website. How dumb is that???

6 years ago

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