Cash App Taxes Review 2023

I’ve used Credit Karma for years to keep an eye on my credit score. But until recently, I didn’t know that they had a tax service as well, now called Cash App Taxes. Because I love trying new tools and giving helpful tips, here’s my Cash App Taxes review and if you should give it a try.

What Is Cash App Taxes?

So what exactly is Cash App Taxes from Credit Karma? If you’ve ever wanted to check credit scores, you may have already come across the site Credit Karma. Credit Karma still lets you see your credit score for free, without your score dropping due to credit checks. You can use them completely free and check your credit score as often as you want.

In 2017, Credit Karma launched Credit Karma Tax, which was their own tax filing service. Credit Karma Tax was bought by Cash App in November 2020 and changed the name to Cash App Taxes before the start of the 2022 tax season.

Cash App Taxes offers the service for anyone looking to file their federal and state taxes. However, their system isn’t perfect just yet, which is to be expected for a new service.

There will be quite a few things that will either make you want to use the service or keep you away from using them. When you read its Terms of Service, it points out the company might add or take away features.

Pricing and Features

Luckily, Cash App Taxes is a completely free tax preparation service you can use for both federal and state taxes. So if you don’t want to spend a fortune on your taxes, but want to make sure they’re done right, Cash App Taxes is a great option for you. 

They also have a guarantee that if you receive a larger federal tax refund or owe less in taxes using a different filing service, you might be eligible to receive the difference up to $100 in the form of a gift card. And they have a promise that they have a team that will help you if you’re audited by the IRS. 

In comparison to other tax filing services, Cash App Taxes is a great deal, especially because it’s free. And with the perks of guarantees and promises, you won’t have to lose your hard-earned money if things do go wrong or if you find a better tax service for your needs. 

Cash App Taxes Features 

Because Cash App Taxes is free, you may think that they don’t offer many features. But that really isn’t the case. In fact, Cash App Taxes is just like Credit Karma. Both are free, but offer quite a bit to their customers and users. Cash App Taxes has quite a few features, so let’s talk about them. 

Document Picture Importing

Just like with other tax filing services like TurboTax, you can enter information on your W-2 just by uploading a picture of your form. This is a newer feature but still needs to be talked about because it’s so easy.

It’s a great option if you’re an employee, or have had multiple jobs throughout the 2021 year. Entering that information can be tedious and can take up so much time, especially if you had multiple jobs throughout a year. Taking the pictures frees up a lot of that time. 

All you will need to do is confirm that the info they pulled is correct. If your past returns from Credit Karma Tax are needed, visit the Tax Returns section of Cash App Taxes. Past tax returns from TurboTax, TaxAct, or H&R Block can also be uploaded to import information that you might need. 

Easy Refund Options

After you’ve filed, if you are owed to a refund, it will be directly deposited to your bank account. To get this option you’ll just need to enter your bank’s routing number and your bank account information. If you go this route, remember to double-check your numbers, because they can’t be fixed once the money is sent. With this option, you can receive your refund in as little as 21 days (or even less if you get lucky!). 

However, if you don’t have a bank account, you can opt to get a check sent to you instead. Just keep in mind that the check can take up to six or eight weeks to receive, so direct deposit might be faster. If you’re not in a rush though, it won’t be a problem. 

Free Audit Support 

As stated before, when you use Cash App Taxes you also get free audit support from them. With that, you’ll get free help from a tax preparation professional if you get audited by the IRS. If you do happen to get audited, the tax professional will draft letters for you so they can help you communicate with the IRS and get the situation resolved.

Security 

Just like Credit Karma, Cash App Taxes is big on security. To even access your account, you have to go through multiple authentication steps, as well as prove you are who you say you are. That includes answering information that only you would know, including where you lived 10 years ago, what electric company you’ve used, and other questions that might be asked.

These questions are not to take your information, but instead, to ensure you are actually you. This is done to protect you and your money. They take your security seriously, especially because filing taxes requires using your social security number, address, and more information. 

Helpful Articles & Resources

Do you find yourself having questions while filing your taxes online? If you have a quick question, or need some help, Cash App Taxes has information bubbles (or the little “i” that you hover over) that can answer most questions you might have.

If you need more help than what the little “i” offers, you can also search for your specific question using the search bar that Cash App Taxes has. And of course, you can also contact customer service if things still aren’t making sense to you. However, it is important to note that customer service might not be the best, especially as it gets later in the tax season. 

Cash App Taxes Pros & Cons

The service seems great, especially when you look at the features that Cash App Taxes offers. However, look at the pros and cons before choosing which tax software you will use to file not only your federal taxes, but state taxes, too. Pros and cons tend to be highly subjective, and what I consider a pro might be a con for you and vice versa. However, based on my research, I have come up with some positives and negatives. First, let’s go over the pros. 

Pros 

• It’s completely free – You won’t pay a dime to use the Cash App Taxes filing service. This is the biggest pro because filing your taxes can easily become expensive, especially if the system you use misses out on credits, deductions, and more. 
• It’s easy to use – Unlike with some online tax filing services like TurboTax, Cash App Taxes is easy to use and you don’t need to be tech-savvy to file your taxes. 
• There is a $1,000 guarantee – Cash App Taxes offers an accuracy guarantee up to $1,000 (and up to $100 as a refund if you find better elsewhere). That means that when you file with them, it will be as accurate as possible, or they’ll pay you. 

Cons

• There isn’t much customer support/customer support is poor – You can’t contact Cash App Taxes via the phone, and there are a few complaints online that state customer service is hard to reach and resolve issues. 
• The system doesn’t cover a lot of different situations – To use Cash App Taxes, your filing situation has to be fairly simple — it’s not for complicated tax situations. If you happen to have a complicated situation (like a trust fund, multiple residences, or the like), you will probably want to look at other tax software. 

What Doesn’t Cash App Taxes Cover?

While Cash App Taxes is great, there are quite a few limitations that can be considered a con for many tax-filing Americans. When researching, this was a big con for me. there are so many tax forms and tax situations that Cash App Taxes doesn’t cover.

And because taxes are never easy, and many people can have slightly difficult or different situations, I thought all of this would be important to talk about. That’s why I decided to write a whole section on what Cash App Taxes doesn’t offer when it comes to situations and forms. 

Some situations Cash App Taxes doesn’t cover (as of 2022): 

• Non-resident state returns. 
• State returns for part of the year or over multiple years.  
• Married but filing separately in a community property state? Cash App Taxes doesn’t allow it. Here are the community property states as identified in IRS Publication 555: Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas, or Wisconsin. You can still file federally. If you do want to file while married, you’ll have to do it jointly. 
• You, or your spouse if filing jointly, lived in New York City or Yonkers for part of the year cannot file with Cash App Taxes. 
• If you are a resident of Puerto Rico and are self-employed, you cannot use Cash App Taxes.
• You cannot file your taxes across other platforms. You’ll have to file both your state and federal tax together with Cash App Taxes. 
• Cash App Taxes users cannot file state taxes without first filing their federal tax returns.

There are also many limitations on forms.

If you file with any of the following forms, you will not be able to use Credit Karma Tax: 

• Earned Income Credit with Non-Dependents – This may apply to you if you are a non-custodial parent that is claiming a child on your taxes. 
• Additional Child Tax Credit – If you lived outside the U.S. for more than half the tax year and want to claim this credit on your tax return.
• Adoption Credit Carryforward – If you had an adoption credit last year but couldn’t claim it on your taxes and want to this year.
• Form 8885 – Health Coverage Tax Credit – If you are between the ages of 55 and 65, this may apply to you. 
• Form 8903 – Domestic Production Activities Deduction
• Clergy Member Tax Filing
• Form 1116 – Foreign Tax Credit
• Form 2555 – Foreign Earned Income
• Schedule J – Income Averaging for Farmers & Fishermen – If you are a farmer or fisherman that doesn’t plan on using this form, you can file with Cash App Taxes. 
• Form 8615 – Tax for Certain Children Who Have Unearned Income
• Form 8864 – Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel Fuels Credit
• Schedule K-1 – Estate and Trust Income
• 1040NR Form – Non-Resident Alien Federal Tax Return
• Form 2210 – Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals, Estates, and Trusts – This is also important to look into if you’re self-employed. 
• Form 8332 – Release of Claim to Exemption for Child by Custodial Parent
• Form 7202 – Credits for Sick Leave and Family Leave for Certain Self-Employed Individuals

If you don’t have any of these forms and if you don’t fall into any of the situations listed above, you can still use Cash App Taxes. If or when Cash App Taxes ever starts accepting these forms and situations, I’ll be sure to update my post. 

Who Should Use Cash App Taxes?

With everything being said, who should use Cash App Taxes? Even with the stipulations that Cash App Taxes doesn’t cover, it is still a great and easy service to use for filers who are W-2 workers, have children, or even self-employed. 

However, if you are self-employed, I would highly recommend using a site like TurboTax. In fact, you can get TurboTax for free if you are a Quickbooks user. Or, if you want a little bit more help, I would suggest using a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). 

I would also not recommend Cash App Taxes if this is your first year filing your taxes by yourself. With little customer support, things can go wrong and you wouldn’t have the help and support you may need. There are many other tax filing services that are better options for first-time filers.  However, if you’re willing to take the risk, at least Cash App Taxes has an auditing guarantee.  

Cash App Taxes Review: Would I Recommend It?

Now that we are at the end of my Cash App Taxes Review, would I recommend them? I would say it depends. I love what they offer, and also love that they are free.

But as someone who is self-employed and has semi-complicated taxes, I don’t know if I’d be willing to risk filing my taxes with Cash App Taxes. However, I would recommend them to anyone who has had a simple year — that includes being an employee, and those who know how to file their taxes. Also, if you typically file your taxes online, Cash App Taxes will be incredibly easy for you to use. 

Overall, I think Cash App Taxes is a great service. And it could be worth your time in the right situations. 

So, What is Your Cash App Taxes Review?

Have you used the service? What did you think about it? Where did you find it helpful? Where did you find it challenging? I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a reply below with your Cash App Taxes return review.