A tax accountant has gone viral on TikTok after sharing a “pro tip” for those looking to file their own taxes and save extra money doing it.
In a video with over 403,700 views as of Friday, TikTok user Nicole Kim (@kimmyc0le) advised her viewers, “So I’m a tax accountant and just a pro tip for everybody. If you want to file your own tax return, use freetaxusa.com.”
She goes on to list other tax preparation websites like TaxSlayer, TurboTax, TaxAct, and H&R Block that reportedly charge fees for anything other than a W-2 tax form.
“FreeTaxUSA is legit. You can use your W-2, student loans. If you’re a sole proprietor and need to use a Schedule C, they’re all free… Rent and royalty income if you need to like do that Schedule E. That’s free as well because these other softwares charge you. They have hidden charges in every single way,” Kim explains.
According to an article by SmartAsset, a financial technology company, “TurboTax is more full-featured and has lots of built-in guidance, as well as helpful support delivered by phone or chat. However, it’s significantly more expensive,” FreeTaxUSA, on the other hand, is entirely free for all federal income taxes and only charges its users for state returns, which cost $15.
The video, which was posted this week, has since gone viral, with many users going to the comment section to share their experience with the service.
One user commented, “Discovered them last year and I’ll NEVER go back to turbo tax!!”.
Another shared their unique strategy of using both TurboTax and FreeTaxUSA: “My trick is to run the numbers in both freetaxusa and turbo, and see if the results match, then file in freetaxusa, just to make sure.”
A commenter claiming to be an IRS Enrolled Agent chimed in, saying, “I have seen many people do their own taxes and miss out on many deductions and refunds.”
@kimmyc0le Tip from a tax accountant 😌 if you have complicated taxes consult w a professional (aka me)
♬ original sound – kimmyc0le
One long-time user of the service wrote, “Been using it for 10 years and I stand by them!”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Nicole Kim via her email and the FreeTaxUSA via their press email for comment.
Update March 5, 2024, 2:55am CT: In an email to the Daily Dot, a spokesperson for FreeTaxUSA writes: “We love our filers, and want to make sure we give them everything we can for the best price possible. We are always happy when a customer has a good experience and goes out of their way to share. We’re grateful for Nicole and her kind words.”
