eSmart Tax Reviews - What Is It?
DO NOT USE eSmart Tax!!! You Must Read This Review!
Fully Researched: Price, User Feedback and More!
eSmart Tax is a tax filing site run by one of the largest tax-preparation chains in the country called Liberty Tax. Their official website offers four levels of tax filing with one absolutely free and with the most expensive one costing $44.95. The site is similar to H&R Block's site, especially when it comes to filing your taxes via a website linked to a brick-and-mortar tax preparer. The major difference between filing through Liberty's eSmart website and heading into a Liberty Tax office is price. The latter costs over $100. It is cheaper to use online software, but you will certainly face the difficulty putting the right information in the right places. Thus, the structure of the site can be a big help or a drawback to your DIY tax abilities. Not all users of eSmartTax.com find it ease-of-use. Then you may face difficulties with information. The customer service reps may not be ready to give you the answers to your questions in a timely manner. These are some of the vital issues you may encounter when filing taxes online. But is eSmart Tax better than the competition? We are going to explore all the basic information to answer this important question. First, we will take a look at the eSmart Tax filing options.
Customer Reviews - Does eSmart Tax Really Work?
Like many other online tax software websites, eSmart Tax offers different levels of pricing, while each level covers definite tax situations. The first option is free filing which is quite similar to what can be found on other websites of the kind. These types of returns are very simple: there are no itemized deductions, no homeownership income or self-employment. It is an ideal type of return for a young couple with small kids or a single person who earns a W-2 and rents an apartment or a condo. Some of the situations covered by this type of filing include: free tech support and chat advice, forms related to your healthcare.gov insurance plan, children and dependents. Your free return will automatically import your W-2 and the information filed with the websites you earlier used. It is difficult to say whether you will get child-related credits other than those you would earn for paying for childcare. Other deductions and tax credits you can get include deductions for fees linked to adoption. You can also get tax credit depending on how many children you have and your income.
Basic level of tax return is the best option for families. It costs $19.95. The difference between Basic and Free is not big enough. Based on the official website, the situations you get with this plan also include itemized deductions, interest earnings, HSA accounts, self-employment income, depreciation, and business expenses. The last three situations are tailored to self-employed taxpayers and freelancers. Depreciation is a type of deduction that can be claimed in situations when you purchase something new, but since you have used this item for many years you claim its cost over the course of time. Usually it is lower than the initial price. Such forms as Schedules A and B, as well as 1099's and the 8853 are included here. But this package doesn't allow you to file a Schedule C, a profit and loss form that includes the full suite of itemized business deductions. Basic is good for the self-employed and freelancers, but it limits your ability to earn more deductions on work-related expenses.
The next option is Deluxe ($34.95), which is suitable for full-time small business owners and freelancers with a lot of deductions. This package provides the necessary level of service because it allows you to file a Schedule C, a form that is important for this category of workers because it includes a the most pertinent deductions: commissions, fees, mortgage interest, insurance, legal services, taxes and licenses, home office, travel, and more. This tier of tax return covers the following forms: 1040, 1099, 8853, 8829 (Home business expenses), 4562 (Depreciation of property), 8839 (Adoption expenses, Schedule C: Business expenses) and 4136 (Fuel-related deductions). Finally, Premium ($44.95) encompasses more forms than Free, Basic and Deluxe options do. For instance, Premium gets you everything offered by Deluxe plus Schedules E, F and K-1. Besides, you can file some additional forms that can be used to deduct income and expenses from farm rentals as well as stolen property.
There are quite many customer reviews about eSmart Tax on third-party websites. One man writes in his testimonial that he used eSmart in the past until it failed. After filing his returns they were rejected for the reason of the rejected electronic signature because the Adjusted Gross Income for the previous year does not match IRS records. The man ensured that his Fed and State AGI was correct. eSmart agreed through Chat asking to resubmit. They promised to flag the user's account as "bypass" so it would go to IRS. The man asked the consultant to explain why all this was happening, but she ignored the question and closed their session, saying, "Thank you, bye." The user resubmitted again, but it was rejected again. So he tried to open Chat but received message "Chat not available, please email". The user emailed but did not get any response. He contacted the local office, but the reps said they didn't support eSmart. In order to file with them, the man had to pay again. That's ridiculous! Let us take a look at the actual customer reviews about ESmart Tax online.
"I prefer to file my taxes the very first day they are available. So, I filed my federal taxes via eSmart Tax a week before they were to be accepted by the IRS. They were not ready for state return that early. I assumed they would be ready soon but that was NOT the case! I constantly got the run around from the company's customer service (Facebook messenger and online chat) promising "it's coming". They could not say when it would be ready. It is February 9th and it is finally available for filing. I will never use this service again."
"I filed my return with e Smart Tax and they used JTH Financial to process the refunds. I was sure that I entered my bank information correctly. I checked it twice with JTH Financial and eSmart and both of them confirmed that my information was correct. When I called my bank I learnt that the information was really entered incorrectly. But I don't know whether the company would refund me for the inconvenience of getting my refund late."
"A few days ago I started filing my taxes with eSmart tax. I only logged out because I didn't know about the form 1099-R. Now when I try to log in again it says I have the wrong username and that my email and password are incorrect. Besides, when I try to email the company for support it comes back with the message that the email address was not right. I am tired of this website!"
My Final Summary
During our research we have revealed some strengths and weaknesses of eSmart Tax. On the one side, the website provides great value for the price, especially when speaking about their premium package that covers a big list of credits and deductions. However, the site has a mixed customer reputation. There are many complaints from real users of the site. Many people report that the site often fails. Another drawback of the site is that there is lack of guidance customers can receive when filing their taxes. For comparison, TurboTax customer service will walk you through your taxes, but with eSmart Tax you will be on your own. If you feel like you need the site that would give you the necessary guidance, eSmart Tax may not be the right option for you. I cannot recommend it to usage.
eSmart Tax Pricing and Rates
The eSmart Tax offer four filing options, just like other online tax software websites. There is free option. Basic option costs $19.95 and it is more suitable for families, according to eSmart. The next level of tax return is called Deluxe and is priced at $34.95. It can be used by freelancers and owners of full-time small businesses. Premium option is priced at $44.95. It offers more than all the previous levels of tax return.