TaxHawk
TaxHawk is a privately held US online tax preparation and IRS e-file provider offering free federal tax filing to individual taxpayers, with revenue from $15.99 state returns and tiered paid add-ons including Deluxe, Pro, and Audit Defense support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersProvo, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What TaxHawk does
TaxHawk, Inc. is a privately held US tax preparation and e-filing company headquartered in Provo, Utah, founded in 2001/2002 by co-founder Dane Kimber. The company operates a web-based, self-serve online tax filing platform at taxhawk.com, approved by the IRS as an e-file provider, serving US individual taxpayers. The platform uses a guided question-and-answer interview interface with built-in accuracy checks (Triple Check Accuracy System), W-2 photo import, prior-year data import from competitors, and support for over 350 tax credits and deductions plus hundreds of federal tax forms.
The company's business model is freemium: federal tax returns are filed free with no income limits or hidden fees, while revenue is generated from state returns at $15.99 per state, and a tiered set of optional add-ons including Deluxe Support ($7.99) for priority support, Pro Support ($64.99) for access to a Tax Pro with live screen share and phone support, and Audit Defense ($19.99) for CPA/EA-backed audit protection covering federal returns for 3 years and state returns for 4 years. Secondary revenue streams include a pay-with-refund option ($24.99), a 2.5% credit/debit card payment fee for IRS tax payments, amended return filings ($16.98), and physical print/bind services.
The product surface covers individual taxpayers with W-2 income, self-employed/1099 filers, homeowners claiming itemized deductions, investors including cryptocurrency (Form 1099-DA), students claiming education credits, and rental property owners (Schedule E). Prior-year returns for 2018-2024 are supported, and free Form 4868 extensions are offered. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer through taxhawk.com, with no retail, marketplace, or reseller presence, and marketing is driven by organic search positioning around "free tax filing" and competitor-comparison keywords against TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct, and TaxSlayer. The company is independently owned with no disclosed parent, private equity, or venture capital backing.
TaxHawk firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TaxHawk
- Legal name
- TaxHawk, Inc.
- Website
- https://taxhawk.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- TaxHawk is a privately held US online tax preparation and IRS e-file provider offering free federal tax filing to individual taxpayers, with revenue from $15.99 state returns and tiered paid add-ons including Deluxe, Pro, and Audit Defense support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TaxHawk industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tax Preparation Software
- NAICS
- Tax Preparation Services (541213)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tax Advisory & Compliance (BPAHABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Tax Planning & Personal Tax Optimization Tools (FSAGADAJ), Tax-Aware Investment Planning (FSAEAAAE), Taxes & Filing Basics (Withholding, Deductions, Credits) (EDAAAJAG)
Keywords
Where TaxHawk is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Provo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
TaxHawk business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- State Tax Return Filing: Primary revenue driver - $15.99 per state return filed. Customers file federal for free but pay for state tax preparation and filing.
- Deluxe Support Subscription: $7.99 tier providing live chat, priority support, and unlimited amended returns.
- Pro Support Subscription: $64.99 tier providing personal tax advice, access to a Tax Pro, phone support, and live screen share capabilities.
- Audit Defense Add-on: $19.99 one-time or subscription fee for audit protection services including personal audit defense team, IRS/state support, tax debt relief, and tax identity theft support.
- Refund Payment Processing: $24.99 fee when customers choose to pay filing fees from their tax refund rather than upfront.
- Print and Copy Services: Fees for professionally printed returns ($8.96) and professionally bound returns ($17.96).
- Card Payment Processing Fee: 2.5% fee when paying taxes owed to the IRS with a credit or debit card.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Federal Filing - Core service for all taxpayers |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Deluxe Support - Enhanced assistance tier |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Pro Support - Expert assistance tier |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Audit Defense - IRS audit protection |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Refund Payment Option |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Card Payment for Taxes Owed |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
TaxHawk product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TaxHawk provides free online federal tax preparation and IRS e-filing for U.S. individual taxpayers, with paid add-ons for state returns, professional support tiers, audit defense, tax extensions, and prior-year returns. The web-based interview-style platform guides users through credits, deductions, and income entry (including photo W-2 import) and supports direct deposit, refund transfer, and card payment options.
Product overview
TaxHawk is a web-based online tax filing platform offering a tiered freemium model. The core product is the free federal tax filing service that supports all major tax situations including basic, premium, self-employed, and investment features with over 350 credits and deductions. Optional paid add-ons include: Deluxe Support ($7.99) for live chat, priority support, and unlimited amendments; Pro Support ($64.99) for access to tax professionals with personal advice, phone support, and live screen share; Audit Defense ($19.99) for audit protection with CPA/EA team support; and State Returns ($15.99 per state). Additional services include tax extensions (free), prior year returns (2018-2024), amended returns, and professionally printed/bound return copies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Free Federal Tax Filing No-cost online federal income tax return preparation and IRS e-file for U.S. individual taxpayers, with an interview-style interface, accuracy checks, W-2 photo import, and 350+ credits and deductions.
- State Tax Return Filing State income tax return preparation and e-file priced at $15.99 per state, added to a filed federal return for U.S. individual taxpayers with state tax liability.
- Deluxe Support Entry-level paid support tier priced at $7.99 that provides priority email support and free amended returns.
- Pro Support Premium support tier priced at $64.99 that provides unlimited phone and email access to tax experts and free amended returns for filers with complex situations.
- Audit Defense IRS audit protection add-on priced at $19.99 that connects filers with a tax professional to represent them in the event of an IRS audit.
- Tax Extensions Free online filing of IRS Form 4868 to extend the federal tax filing deadline for individual taxpayers who need additional time to file.
- Prior Year Returns Online preparation and e-file of previous-year federal tax returns, supporting photo W-2 import and import of prior-year data from competing tax software.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% accuracy guarantee - reimbursement for IRS penalties/interest due to calculation errors
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use TaxHawk
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
TaxHawk technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
TaxHawk partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TurboTax (Intuit)minorTaxHawk offers import functionality allowing users to import their prior year tax return data from TurboTax, enabling seamless switching. This is a one-way migration path for users to move from TurboTax to TaxHawk.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
TaxHawk competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TurboTax (Intuit): TurboTax is the dominant direct-to-consumer online tax preparation product in the US, offering the same interview-style federal and state filing that TaxHawk targets. TaxHawk explicitly compares itself against TurboTax on price and feature gating, and offers import functionality for TurboTax users to switch — making them a direct head-to-head competitor.
- H&R Block: H&R Block is a mass-market tax preparation company offering DIY online software alongside retail and assisted services. Like TaxHawk, it sells tiered federal/state filing plus premium support, and is named by TaxHawk as one of the two primary incumbents against which it positions its free federal model.
- TaxAct: TaxAct is a longstanding online DIY tax software competitor serving individual filers with tiered pricing on federal and state returns. TaxHawk specifically lists TaxAct as a supported prior-year import source, indicating overlapping customer base and direct competition in the same mid-tier DIY segment.
- TaxSlayer: TaxSlayer is an online DIY tax preparation service targeting price-conscious individual filers with a similarly tiered federal and state offering. TaxHawk lists TaxSlayer as an importable prior-year source, confirming shared audience and product overlap.
- FreeTaxUSA: FreeTaxUSA is an online tax preparation product that, like TaxHawk, advertises free federal filing with state return fees. It targets the same price-sensitive segment that TaxHawk is built around, making it one of the closest direct competitors on value proposition.
- Cash App Taxes: Cash App Taxes (Block, Inc.) offers a free federal and state online tax filing product, directly competing with TaxHawk on price and target segment. TaxHawk lists Cash App as an importable prior-year source.
- Jackson Hewitt: Jackson Hewitt is a national tax preparation company offering both online DIY software and assisted in-person services. It is one of the established mid-tier competitors in US consumer tax prep that competes with TaxHawk for online filers.
- Liberty Tax: Liberty Tax provides DIY online tax software alongside its franchised retail preparation services, competing in both segments TaxHawk addresses directly.
- OLT (Online Taxes): OLT is a smaller online tax preparation service in the same DIY tier as TaxHawk, mentioned in the data as an importable competitor and therefore competing head-to-head for the same budget-conscious individual filer segment.
Emerging players
- IRS Direct File: IRS Direct File is a federal government-run free online tax filing program launched to allow eligible taxpayers to file directly with the IRS. While it does not currently support all situations and does not offer state filing, it represents a structural free alternative that competes with TaxHawk's core free federal value proposition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
TaxHawk social profiles
Digital presenceTaxHawk financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TaxHawk leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
TaxHawk funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TaxHawk M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TaxHawk
What does TaxHawk do?
TaxHawk provides free online federal tax preparation and IRS e-filing for U.S. individual taxpayers, with paid add-ons for state returns, professional support tiers, audit defense, tax extensions, and prior-year returns. The web-based interview-style platform guides users through credits, deductions, and income entry (including photo W-2 import) and supports direct deposit, refund transfer, and card payment options.
Is TaxHawk a public or private company?
TaxHawk is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was TaxHawk founded?
TaxHawk was founded in 2002. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is TaxHawk based?
TaxHawk is headquartered in Provo, United States, in the North America region.
How does TaxHawk make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. State Tax Return Filing is the primary driver. The others are deluxe Support Subscription, pro Support Subscription, audit Defense Add-on, refund Payment Processing, print and Copy Services and card Payment Processing Fee.
Who are TaxHawk's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TurboTax (Intuit), H&R Block, TaxAct, TaxSlayer, FreeTaxUSA, Cash App Taxes, Jackson Hewitt, Liberty Tax and OLT (Online Taxes). IRS Direct File is listed as an emerging player.
Does TaxHawk have an API?
No public API is recorded for TaxHawk.
What industry is TaxHawk in?
TaxHawk's product category is Tax Preparation Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHABAB, Tax Advisory & Compliance, with a secondary code of FSAGADAJ, Tax Planning & Personal Tax Optimization Tools. Its NAICS code is 541213 and its SIC code is 8111.