Frequently asked questions

Taxcout is California-first, self-help tax-preparation software. You answer plain-English questions (or upload your W-2 and 1099s), and we prepare your federal Form 1040 and California Form 540 with every line explained and cited to the source. You review every number before you file. Taxcout is software — it is not a law firm, not a CPA firm, and not a government agency, and it provides information, not personalized tax or legal advice.

Tax years 2020 through 2025. 2025 is the current year; 2020–2024 are prior-year returns you prepare, print, and mail. You pick the year at the top of the interview.

California (Form 540) alongside your federal return. Other states are on the roadmap. If you had income in another state, Taxcout doesn't prepare that state's return yet.

Prior-year returns (2020–2024) are prepared to print and mail — that's how the IRS and FTB accept older years. For the current year, electronic filing is being added; until it's live, you download the completed forms and mail them. Taxcout shows you exactly where to mail each return.

Your 2025 federal and California returns are generally due April 15, 2026. Filing on time avoids late-filing penalties even if you can't pay everything at once. Prior-year returns should be filed as soon as possible. Confirm dates at IRS.gov and FTB.ca.gov.

Refund timing is set by the IRS and the FTB, not by Taxcout. E-filed federal refunds are often issued within about 21 days; mailed (paper) returns take longer. Check status with the IRS's Where's My Refund and the FTB refund tool.

Yes — the calculations are done by our engine and every line shows its formula and the IRS/FTB source it comes from, so you can see how each number was reached. You still review and confirm everything before filing; you are responsible for the accuracy of what you submit.

You'll need to amend the return you already filed — you don't file a second original return for the same year. A federal amendment uses Form 1040-X and California uses Schedule X with Form 540; each shows your original figures, the corrected figures, and the difference. Taxcout prepares these for you: open the saved return from "My returns," choose Amend, correct the figures (for example, add the late 1099), and Taxcout generates the 1040-X and Schedule X — with the amount you now owe or the additional refund. Print and mail them. If you owe more, filing promptly limits interest and penalties.

Amended returns are generally printed and mailed (some recent years can be e-filed). Keep a copy of both your original and amended returns with your records.

Wages (W-2); interest (1099-INT); dividends (1099-DIV); stock and investment sales (1099-B); unemployment (1099-G); pensions, annuities, and IRA distributions (1099-R); Social Security (SSA-1099); and other income such as 1099-MISC box 3 (bank/credit-card bonuses, prizes, jury duty). It also handles the common itemized deductions.

Self-employment / freelance income and expenses (Schedule C) and rental or royalty income (Schedule E) are on the roadmap — Schedule C is next. If you upload a 1099-NEC or a 1099-MISC with rents/royalties, Taxcout tells you it can't fill that part yet rather than dropping it silently.

Yes — on the Pro plan you can upload (or photograph on mobile) a W-2 or 1099 and Taxcout reads the boxes and fills them in for you to review. On any plan you can enter the amounts by hand. Uploaded documents are also saved to your Vault under that tax year, so you upload once.

Rewards you earn by spending (cash back, points, miles) are generally treated as a rebate and are not taxable, so you don't report them. But a sign-up or referral bonus you didn't have to spend to get, and bank account bonuses, can be taxable — you may receive a 1099-INT or a 1099-MISC (box 3) for them. Enter those in Taxcout under interest or "other income." This is general information, not advice about your specific situation.

Distributions you took from a traditional IRA, pension, or annuity are reported from your 1099-R (Taxcout handles these today). Qualified Roth distributions are generally not taxable. IRA contribution deductions and the Saver's Credit for retirement contributions are on the roadmap. If you only made Roth contributions (no distributions), there's usually nothing to report as income.

Into your Vault, organized by tax year, where you can download or delete them anytime. Documents are stored encrypted and scoped to your account. Uploading the same file twice won't create a duplicate.

Taxcout compares your standard deduction against your itemized deductions and uses whichever is larger, and it includes tips and reminders about common deductions and credits as you go. It provides this as general information to help you self-prepare — it is not personalized tax advice. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a qualified tax professional.

Taxcout computes both and applies the one that lowers your tax the most, for federal and California independently (California's rules and amounts differ). You'll see both figures on your review screen.

Plus includes preparing and downloading your return, plus the Vault for storing documents and past returns. Pro adds automatic document reading — snap or upload a W-2 or 1099 and have it filled in for you. You can enter everything by hand on any plan.

Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest, access is scoped to your account, and payment details are handled by Stripe (we never store your full card number). See our Privacy Policy for details, including how federal law (IRC § 7216) limits how tax return information may be used.

You can delete documents from your Vault anytime, and request account deletion from your account settings or at taxcout.com/delete-account.