Credit Karma Tax, the only major free tax preparation provider that never charges any of its users to file, just got smarter. In the upcoming 2020 tax season, Credit Karma members who file their taxes with Credit Karma Tax can expect a smarter, more streamlined experience tailored specifically to their unique filing situation. This marks the company’s first major step toward fulfilling its long term vision of automating tax filing for Americans.
Credit Karma members who file with Credit Karma Tax can also expect additional support during the upcoming tax season. During the season, Credit Karma Tax will roll out 24/7 chat support to members in the U.S.
“We know one-third of Americans typically feel anxious about filing their taxes and nearly half of all filers fear they’ll mess up on their taxes,” said Jagjit Chawla, VP and General Manager of Tax and Savings at Credit Karma. “It’s our goal to leverage the power of technology to simplify the tax filing experience for Americans and eliminate the stress associated with filing your taxes, which we’ve only just begun with the Smart Filing experience.”
With the Smart Filing experience, members who file with Credit Karma Tax can expect the following changes in the upcoming tax season:
- Intuitive in-product flow. All filers will experience an updated and streamlined product flow.
- Streamlined onboarding experience. Members who file with Credit Karma Tax will be asked a series of comprehensive questions upfront. Each question maps to applicable tax forms and each answer is used to develop a personalized dashboard to help members file their taxes efficiently. This means filers will only fill out the forms required for their particular situation — nothing more, nothing less.
- Seamless journey for Simple filers. (those with a W2 only and no dependents). After uploading their W2, most information will be pre-populated, requiring just a quick review before submission.
Members who file with Credit Karma Tax will have access to a completely free premium product, backed by a Maximum Refund Guarantee and Accurate Calculations Guarantee. The company supports most of all IRS forms and schedules and is available to Credit Karma members in the U.S. Here’s what can be expected from Credit Karma Tax in the upcoming tax season.
- 24/7 Chat Support. During the season, Credit Karma Tax will roll out 24/7 chat support to members in the U.S.
- Free Audit Defense. Members who file with Credit Karma Tax can receive free audit defense. Audit Defense can provide correspondence management and in-person representation in the event that a member gets audited by the IRS or the state. Last season, some other companies charged from $19.99 to $49.99 for a similar service.
- Mobile Filing. Last tax season, more than half of Credit Karma Tax filers started their taxes on their mobile device. To meet members where they are, Credit Karma Tax built a mobile-first tax filing experience. Now, Credit Karma Tax members can enjoy an enhanced mobile tax filing experience and can file their taxes from start to finish directly from their smartphone—no matter how complex their tax situation.
- Error double-check. Before a member submits their tax return, Credit Karma Tax will check and re-check the return to let them know if anything looks off.
The 2020 tax season marks the fourth season for Credit Karma Tax. Last season, Credit Karma Tax saw a 50% YoY increase in eFiles and expects significant growth in the upcoming season.
Credit Karma Tax will be available and up to date with the latest tax laws starting December 20, 2019. At that point, members can submit their return with Credit Karma Tax and their return will be held and filed when the Internal Revenue Service opens the e-filing season in late January. For more information visit www.creditkarma.com/tax/hub.
About Credit Karma Tax
Credit Karma Tax launched in 2017 and offers free tax filing for federal and state returns to Credit Karma’s more than 90 million members in the U.S.
About Credit Karma
Founded in 2007 by Ken Lin, Credit Karma is a consumer technology company with more than 100 million members in the U.K., United States and Canada, including almost half of all U.S. millennials. While best known for pioneering free credit scores, the company’s members turn to Credit Karma for everything related to their financial goals, including identity monitoring, applying for credit cards, shopping for loans (car, home and personal) and now high-yield savings accounts through our bank partner, MVB, Inc., Member FDIC — all for free.
Learn more about how Credit Karma members are making financial progress on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.