StudioTax has been helping Canadians file their income tax returns for over a decade.
For most of that decade, it had been free, and it still is for those in the northern provinces and territories of the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut as well as for those with income under $20,000, but for the rest of us it costs $15 for filing a maximum of 20 returns.
Though it’s generally considered to be a streamlined program without a lot of bells and whistles, it does accommodate those with self-employment and rental income.
The program’s Quick Start Wizard progresses in a logical way, prompting users to enter their information step by step. If you’ve been filing your taxes with StudioTax for a while, you can import your tax information from the previous year, helping you save time. StudioTax lets you file up to 20 returns — the maximum for NETFILE — for a reasonable price.
It used to only work locally via a Windows or Mac desktop, but now there’s a mobile version for iOS and Android as well. Design-wise StudioTax might benefit from a facelift, but it works pretty well for what it is.
Apply NowTurboTax offers both free and paid versions, and works with Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. One notable feature of the free version is it has no income limit (unlike some competing free tax prep programs). Although you can import your tax information with CRA’s Auto-fill My Return, you’ll have to purchase the paid version of the program if you want to transfer your tax information from last year. This is a bit of a bummer.
However, for most people the relatively inexpensive Standard version is worthwhile, at just $19.99. Not only does it allow you to save and transfer tax information from past returns, it will also search for over 400 additional tax credits and deductions to see if they’re applicable. That has huge potential to maximize your return.
The TurboTax interface has evolved over the years from presenting overlong forms to presenting more palatable, user-friendly segments, where you’re only asked to complete sections relevant to you. Everything is well organized by tabs, and its user support is excellent in the event that you run into issues (though, again, high-level customer support is only available for paid versions).
Formerly SimpleTax, Wealthsimple Tax is one of the newer income tax filing programs out there, and it seems to combine the best features from other tax return software to make a well-rounded program. Wealthsimple Tax offers a web-based version, can be used on a local Windows or Mac desktop, and on mobile via iOS devices only. It features a unique pay-what-you-want structure: it’s technically free, although you might opt to donate something to help support the creators.
Despite its name, Wealthsimple Tax can handle more complicated tax scenarios including self-employment and investment income. It even supports Quebec tax returns and includes a full translation to French, something not very common in free income tax software. It has one of the best user interfaces out there, cleaner and more user friendly than that of, say, StudioTax. Similar to StudioTax, you can NETFILE the maximum allowed 20 tax returns for free. Data you submit is protected, as everything is transmitted using encryption.
UFileFREE has a web-based version, or can be used locally on a Mac or Windows desktop. There is currently no mobile version.
In order to file your taxes for free with UFileFREE, you must meet one or more of the following criteria:
You’re filing your tax return for the first time
Your total family income is under $20,000
You’re a post-secondary student
You’re a dependent
You’re in receipt of Guaranteed Income Supplement
Your only income is from T4 tax slips.
If you don’t qualify under at least one of the above, you can use a more robust version of the program, but you’ll have to pony up the cash for it.
StudioTax has been helping Canadians file their income tax returns for over a decade.
For most of that decade, it had been free, and it still is for those in the northern provinces and territories of the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut as well as for those with income under $20,000, but for the rest of us it costs $15 for filing a maximum of 20 returns.
Though it’s generally considered to be a streamlined program without a lot of bells and whistles, it does accommodate those with self-employment and rental income.
The program’s Quick Start Wizard progresses in a logical way, prompting users to enter their information step by step. If you’ve been filing your taxes with StudioTax for a while, you can import your tax information from the previous year, helping you save time. StudioTax lets you file up to 20 returns — the maximum for NETFILE — for a reasonable price.
It used to only work locally via a Windows or Mac desktop, but now there’s a mobile version for iOS and Android as well. Design-wise StudioTax might benefit from a facelift, but it works pretty well for what it is.
Apply NowTurboTax offers both free and paid versions, and works with Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. One notable feature of the free version is it has no income limit (unlike some competing free tax prep programs). Although you can import your tax information with CRA’s Auto-fill My Return, you’ll have to purchase the paid version of the program if you want to transfer your tax information from last year. This is a bit of a bummer.
However, for most people the relatively inexpensive Standard version is worthwhile, at just $19.99. Not only does it allow you to save and transfer tax information from past returns, it will also search for over 400 additional tax credits and deductions to see if they’re applicable. That has huge potential to maximize your return.
The TurboTax interface has evolved over the years from presenting overlong forms to presenting more palatable, user-friendly segments, where you’re only asked to complete sections relevant to you. Everything is well organized by tabs, and its user support is excellent in the event that you run into issues (though, again, high-level customer support is only available for paid versions).
Formerly SimpleTax, Wealthsimple Tax is one of the newer income tax filing programs out there, and it seems to combine the best features from other tax return software to make a well-rounded program. Wealthsimple Tax offers a web-based version, can be used on a local Windows or Mac desktop, and on mobile via iOS devices only. It features a unique pay-what-you-want structure: it’s technically free, although you might opt to donate something to help support the creators.
Despite its name, Wealthsimple Tax can handle more complicated tax scenarios including self-employment and investment income. It even supports Quebec tax returns and includes a full translation to French, something not very common in free income tax software. It has one of the best user interfaces out there, cleaner and more user friendly than that of, say, StudioTax. Similar to StudioTax, you can NETFILE the maximum allowed 20 tax returns for free. Data you submit is protected, as everything is transmitted using encryption.