Cash App Taxes 2022: Completely Free Mobile Tax Filing, with Room to Grow

This story is part Taxes 2022CNET’s coverage of the best tax software and everything you need to file your return quickly, accurately and on time.

Cash App Taxes is launching for the 2022 tax season, expanding its former identity as Credit Karma Tax. This tax software eschews competitors’ tiered payment plans, offering a free “one-size-fits-all” service that includes almost all important IRS forms and schedules – even if you’re a gig worker or self-employed.

As new, Cash App Taxes does not include the extensive help and support that services such as TurboTax and H&R block do. Cash App Taxes offers contextual help and provides technical and tax support from real people via live chat, but there is no professional tax or phone support.

How does Cash App Taxes work?

To use Cash App Taxes, you will need to download the Cash App mobile software and create a Cash App account, using a valid email address or phone number. The onboarding process will also ask for a debit card to log into the account, but it is not necessary to continue.

From the Cash App mobile app, you can access the Cash app taxes through the banking tab: under the “Taxes” section, find the “Free Taxes” link. An interstitial screen offers “File Now” or “Estimate Refund” buttons as well as a link for users who have filed with Credit Karma Tax in previous years.

After verifying your identity with your social security number, the app will ask you to create a password More precisely for Cash App Taxes, not Cash App in general.

Cash App Taxes has a wide selection of IRS forms and schedules, but the maintenance-like filing process is pretty straightforward. There is no navigation map – you will need to return to the Tax homepage to access the different parts of your return. Technical support and tax assistance content are also limited. A question mark icon is available for all form entries, but the instructions are brief and often refer to the IRS site for more information.

The help slider FAQ only links to the main Cash App Taxes support page at https://taxeshelp.cash.app/. Live chat for website issues and basic tax questions is included here, but there’s no phone support or guaranteed contact with a tax professional.

How to Run Cash App Taxes on Desktop

You can use a mobile device or your computer to deposit with Cash App Taxes, but the login process for the browser-based software is modern and unique. Each time you log into the desktop version, you need to enter a QR code with the Cash App mobile app and then enter your Cash App Taxes password on your mobile device. You must use the mobile app and password each time you log into the desktop version.

Since Cash App Taxes doesn’t support downloading forms, you can enter a lot of data by hand, which works much better with a keyboard. The desktop login process is a minor inconvenience, but it can become increasingly frustrating if you’re working a long return or logging in often.

Although you can use Cash App on both the mobile app and desktop, switching between platforms can cause a few issues. Although information such as dependents and charitable deductions are synced immediately, the W-2 information took about an hour to transfer from the mobile app entry to the browser-based version. We also very occasionally encountered ugly error screens when switching between the mobile app and the navigation software.

Who is Cash App Taxes for?

Experienced Cash App users should strongly consider the free Cash App Taxes software. The tax interface is well integrated with the mobile app, and filers with simple declarations could complete the process in minutes.

Cash App Taxes is best suited for do-it-yourselfers who don’t need much assistance through the filing process, as there’s no help with some of the more complicated forms and professional expertise is non-existent.

Former Credit Karma Tax users should also try Cash App Taxes. Your tax returns from previous years are easy to access, and the software is virtually identical to Credit Karma Tax.

Who should look elsewhere?

Those who want tax support should look elsewhere. Cash App Taxes has an adequate help section and live chat for simple technical and tax questions, but no professional tax support.

Taxpayers with multiple W-2s or income from multiple Form 1099s should also try another tax service. Unlike competitors, Cash App Taxes doesn’t support uploading or taking photos of forms, so you’ll have to enter them manually.

Here are some of the other tax situations not supported by Cash App Taxes:

• Multiple state returns
• Declarations of non-resident states
• Increased flat-rate deduction
• Income earned abroad
• Groom filing separately in community property states

The Cash App Taxes Support Portal has separate pages for a complete list of federal forms and situations it supports and forms and situations Cash App Taxes does not support. Be sure to review the listings before you begin to see if Cash App Taxes will work for you.

Is the taxes on the app cash really free?

Yes, Cash App Taxes is free. In fact, there is no option to pay for the service or upgrade for premium support. The product earns money through targeted advertising for other financial services.

Cash App Taxes also generates users for the Cash App payment service, which earns money in a variety of ways, such as retailer hardware fees, transaction fees, Bitcoin sales, and net interest loans. .

What is the difference between Cash App Tax and Credit Karma Tax?

Credit Karma Tax was a free tax service originally offered by financial company Credit Karma, which sold the tax service to Cash App in November 2020. Block, Inc., owner of Cash App, acquired Credit Karma Tax in late 2020 This year marks the first tax season for Cash App Taxes.

Cash App says the new service has all the same features as Credit Karma Tax, but with a new name and branding. The software appears to be nearly identical in functionality, and the design even retains the look and feel of Credit Karma Tax. Aside from the name, the only obvious difference in the software is the QR code login process.

If you have previously filed a return with Credit Karma Tax, you can obtain your past returns by visiting the Tax Returns section of Cash App Taxes. If you have not used Credit Karma Tax, you will need to upload PDF files to include information from previous returns.

Other Notable Features in Cash App Taxes

Cash App offers two guarantees: Accurate Calculations and Maximum Refund. The Accurate Calculations Guarantee will pay up to $1,000 if Cash App Taxes makes a mistake resulting in IRS penalties.

Cash App Taxes also offers one year of audit defense for free. If you decide to file with Cash App again in 2023, the audit defense protection extends to three years.

Taxpayers can digitally file or print their returns to be filed by mail. Cash App Taxes recommends using the desktop version to print forms. Tax refunds can be added to your Cash App account, deposited into your bank via direct deposit, or delivered by check through the mail.

The Cash App Taxes live chat feature is human-run and available 12 hours a day, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT (11 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET). There is a wait time to chat live with a Cash App Taxes representative, but after several attempts, our longest wait was under 2 minutes. This wait time could increase significantly as April 18 approaches.

Summary

Cash App Taxes offers a simple mobile option for tax filers looking for a free version that doesn’t skimp on forms and schedules. The lack of full tax support makes it a better choice for do-it-yourselfers and taxpayers confident in their ability to file taxes. Cash App users who have already installed the mobile app and are not excluded by Cash App Taxes restrictions have no reason not to try it.

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