OnLine Taxes

What OnLine Taxes does

OnLine Taxes, Inc. is a privately held US tax preparation software company founded in 1999 and headquartered in St. Joseph, Missouri. The company operates the OLT.com direct-to-consumer platform, which provides 100% free federal tax filing — with no income caps or complexity restrictions — paired with a $9.95 per-state filing fee and a $7.95 Premium Edition that adds phone/live chat support, priority processing, and audit assistance. Underlying technology consists of a guided interview data-entry flow, a real-time tax calculation engine, smart W-2/1099 import with photo capture, free prior-year data import from TurboTax/H&R Block/TaxAct/TaxSlayer, and direct IRS and state e-file transmission as an IRS Authorized E-File Provider since 2002. Bank-level SSL encryption, TRUSTe and McAfee security certifications, and a 100% accuracy guarantee with penalty/interest reimbursement back the consumer trust proposition.

The company also operates OLTPRO.com and OLTPRO Desktop, a separate product line launched in 2006–2007 targeting professional tax preparers with scheduling, tracking tools, bank products, and corporate income tax support (Forms 1120, 1120S, 1065). Revenue is generated transactionally via state filing fees, Premium upgrades, a $29.95 Refund Transfer service through partner Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG)/Green Dot Bank, and an affiliate/associate referral program paying $2–$3 per paid return. The company is a member of the IRS Free File Alliance since 2002, serves all 50 states plus DC, claims a 4.8/5 rating across 130,219 reviews, and has filed over 2 million lifetime returns. It is led by President Premkumar John, who has managed technology operations since 2002 after joining from Cerner Corp.

Name

OnLine Taxes

Legal name

On-Line Taxes, Inc.

Website

https://olt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OnLine Taxes is a privately held US tax preparation software company offering 100% free federal e-filing to individual taxpayers across all 50 states, with paid state filing, premium support, and a professional preparer product line under the OLTPRO brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tax Preparation Software

NAICS

Tax Preparation Services (541213), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (5412)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Tax Return Filing, Processing & Assessment (BPAIADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Revenue Systems, E-Filing & Digital Tax Administration (BPAIADAO), Tax & Financial Document Preparation Organization (Non-Advisory) (HSAFAEAG)

Keywords

• Online tax preparation
• Federal e-filing software
• Self-employed tax filing
• Professional tax software
• Free tax return filing

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Joseph

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. State Return Filing: Charges $9.95 per state return for users of the free federal edition. State filing is optional and charged per state filed.
2. Premium Edition Upgrade: Premium edition priced at $7.95 federal and $7.95 per state, offering phone/live chat support, audit assistance, year-over-year comparison, and priority processing.
3. Refund Transfer: Pay-from-refund service provided through Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG) for $29.95 additional fee, allowing OLT fees to be deducted from the tax refund.
4. Affiliate/Associate Referrals: Pays $2.00 per paid return for affiliate referrals and $3.00 per paid return for associates with tax websites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

OnLine Taxes offers IRS e-file authorized online tax preparation software for US individual taxpayers, providing free federal filing with paid state returns ($9.95) and an optional Premium upgrade tier ($7.95 federal and state). The platform uses a guided interview process to prepare federal and state returns, supports all major IRS forms and schedules (1040, Schedule A/B/C/D/E/SE, self-employment, investment, and rental income), and transmits returns directly to the IRS and state tax authorities. The company additionally sells OLTPRO.com and OLTPRO Desktop to professional tax preparers, offering scheduling, tracking, and corporate filing (Forms 1120, 1120S, 1065) capabilities.

Product overview

OnLine Taxes operates a multi-product tax preparation and e-filing platform portfolio. The core consumer offering is OLT.com with two tiers: the Free Federal Edition (always free federal filing, $9.95 state) and Premium Edition ($7.95 federal, $7.95 state with enhanced support). For professional tax preparers, the company offers OLTPRO.com (online professional platform with scheduling and tracking tools) and OLTPRO Desktop (offline desktop software supporting Individual, Business, and Corporate filings including Forms 1120, 1120S, and 1065). Additional services include tax estimation tools, amended return filing, federal/state extension filing, and refund transfer options through banking partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OLTPRO.com: Online professional tax preparation software with scheduling, tracking tools, bank products, and individual pricing structures for professional tax preparers.
• OLTPRO Desktop

Products and services

• OLT.com Free Federal Edition Free online tax preparation and IRS e-filing platform for individual US taxpayers. Supports federal Form 1040, 1040-SR, 1040-NR, and Schedule A/B/C/D/E/SE, 8812, 8962, 8863, and 1099-series, including self-employment, investments, cryptocurrency, and rental property income. Federal filing is always free; state returns are $9.95 per state, with free amended returns, prior-year data import, and a 100% accuracy guarantee.
• OLT.com Premium Edition Enhanced tax preparation tier priced at $7.95 federal and $7.95 per state, adding phone support, live chat support, priority processing, year-over-year comparison, priority audit assistance, unlimited amended returns, and lifetime customer support on top of all Free Edition features.
• OLTPRO.com Online professional tax preparation software combining return preparation with scheduling, client tracking, and bank products for professional tax preparers serving individual and small business clients.
• OLTPRO Desktop Desktop-based tax preparation software for professional tax preparers with offline capabilities. Supports Individual, Business, and Corporate Income Tax filing including Forms 1120, 1120S, and 1065 across all US states, and can be combined with OLTPRO Online for an end-to-end tax season workflow.
• Tax Estimator Free tax calculation tool for estimating 2025 tax liability based on filing status and taxable income, providing tax bracket information and a withholding estimator that previews expected federal outcomes.
• Amended Return Filing Free amended return (Form 1040X) e-filing capability for correcting previously accepted federal tax returns, included at no additional cost on the OLT.com platform (unlimited for Premium, free with limits on Free Edition).
• Federal Extension Filing Free federal extension filing (Form 4868) for requesting additional time beyond the April 15 IRS deadline to file a federal tax return.
• Refund Transfer Pay-from-refund option for OLT fees provided by Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG) through Green Dot Bank, deducting OLT.com charges directly from the customer's federal tax refund for an additional $29.95 fee without requiring a credit card.

Quantifiable outcome

• State refunds received in as few as 6 days, federal refunds in 11 days per customer testimonial
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Free File Alliance / IRScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002OnLine Taxes became a member of the Free File Alliance in 2002, partnering with the IRS to offer free federal online tax preparation and electronic filing to qualified consumers. Taxpayers coming from the IRS Free File page who meet OLT's qualifications may prepare and file a federal return at no cost. This partnership positions OLT as an authorized IRS e-file provider and partner in the IRS mission to increase e-filing adoption.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• FreeTaxUSA: Long-running free federal filing alternative with low-cost state add-on. The most directly comparable competitor on price proposition and target user.
• TaxAct: Value-priced DIY tax software offering federal and state e-file for individuals, self-employed, and small business. Closest mid-market competitor by price-positioning to OLT.
• TaxSlayer: Affordable DIY tax software with classic, premium, and self-employed tiers. Direct price-tier competitor referenced in OLT's own comparison content.
• Jackson Hewitt: DIY software plus assisted tax preparation with retail presence. Competes for the same self-employed and family filer segments OLT targets.
• Liberty Tax: DIY and assisted tax preparation service with seasonal retail offices. Overlaps with OLT on consumer self-prep while also offering in-person assisted prep OLT does not.
• eFile.com: Online tax preparation and e-file service offering free federal and low-cost state options. Comparable value-tier DIY product targeting similar price-sensitive filers.
• TurboTax (Intuit): Market-leading consumer and self-employed DIY tax preparation software with guided interview, e-file, and live assist tiers. Most direct large-scale competitor to OLT's free federal and Premium offerings.
• H&R Block: DIY and assisted tax preparation across consumer and small-business segments with national retail footprint. Competes across OLT's full feature set including state and self-employed filings.

Emerging players

• Drake Tax: Professional tax preparation software used by CPA firms and tax preparers. Direct comparator for OLT's OLTPRO line targeting professional preparers with corporate form support.
• IRS Direct File: Government-run free federal filing pilot that directly competes with OLT's free-federal proposition; a scaled national program would compress OLT's core acquisition hook.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OnLineTaxesInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Online-Taxes-at-OLTcom/121242014598119?v=wall
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/on-line-taxes-inc

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OnLine Taxes