Free Tax Interview — RefundOwl

Let's start simple — what's your name?

Just your first name is fine. We'll use it to personalize your experience.

And where should we send your results, ?

We'll email you a full copy when we're done. We never store or share it — it goes straight from your browser to your inbox.

Which state do you call home, ?

This determines whether you owe state income tax on top of federal.

How are you filing this year, ?

Not sure? Most married couples file jointly — it usually saves money.

On my ownSingle or Unmarried

With my spouseMarried Filing Jointly — usually saves the most

Married, but separatelyMarried Filing Separately

Head of my householdUnmarried and supporting a dependent — good tax benefits

Does anyone depend on you financially?

Kids, elderly parents, or others you support. This unlocks some of the biggest tax credits out there.

How many total dependents?

How many are children under 17? (these qualify for the Child Tax Credit)

Is someone else claiming you as a dependent?

Like a parent claiming you on their return. This affects your standard deduction if so.

Did you work a regular job last year, ?

One with a W-2 — where taxes were automatically taken out of your paycheck.

What were your total wages? (Box 1 on your W-2)

How much federal tax was withheld? (Box 2 on your W-2)

💡 This is the number that determines if you get a refund or owe more.

Any freelance, consulting, or side work?

Anything where you got a 1099, or got paid cash without taxes taken out. Even driving for Uber, selling on Etsy, or one-off consulting jobs count.

How much did you earn from self-employment?

How much did you spend on business expenses? (optional)

Tools, home office, travel, software, supplies — anything you bought for the job. We'll subtract this before calculating.

ℹ️ Self-employed people pay self-employment tax (15.3%) in addition to income tax. We'll calculate this automatically — and deduct half of it from your income.

Any money from investments this year?

Stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, savings interest, dividends — it all counts.

Interest income (savings accounts, CDs, bonds)

Ordinary dividends (from stocks or funds)

Short-term capital gains (investments held under 1 year — taxed like regular income)

Long-term capital gains (investments held over 1 year — lower tax rate!)

💡 Long-term gains get taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20% — much better than ordinary income rates.

Any other income we should know about, ?

Rental properties, Social Security, retirement withdrawals, alimony... Fill in whatever applies.

Rental income (from properties you rent out)

Social Security benefits received

Up to 85% may be taxable depending on your total income.

Retirement withdrawals (401k, IRA, pension distributions)

Alimony received (pre-2019 divorce agreements only)

Did you put money into retirement accounts last year?

Contributions to traditional accounts reduce your taxable income — one of the best tax breaks available.

401(k) or 403(b) contributions (max $23,000; $30,500 if 50+)

Traditional IRA contributions (max $7,000; $8,000 if 50+)

SEP-IRA or Solo 401(k) (self-employed only)

ℹ️ Roth IRA contributions are NOT deductible — don't include those here.

Tell us about your home, .

Homeowners get some of the biggest deductions available — mortgage interest and property taxes can add up to thousands.

I rentNo home ownership deductions this year

I own my homeYou may have mortgage interest and property tax deductions

Mortgage interest paid last year (Box 1 on your Form 1098)

Property taxes paid

Combined with state/local income taxes, capped at $10,000 for federal purposes (SALT cap).

Let's make sure you're not leaving money on the table.

Check anything that applied last year. Every one of these can reduce what you owe.

I paid student loan interest last year

How much interest did you pay? (up to $2,500 is deductible)

I donated to charity

Cash/check donations

Non-cash donations (clothes, furniture, etc. — use fair market value)

I had significant medical expenses

Total out-of-pocket medical expenses

Only the amount over 7.5% of your income is deductible. We'll calculate the threshold for you.

I paid for childcare so I could work

Childcare expenses paid last year

This may qualify for the Child & Dependent Care Credit — up to 20–35% of expenses.

I paid alimony (pre-2019 divorce agreements only)

Alimony paid last year

Now, — here's where we save you money.

You get to pick one of two ways to reduce your taxable income. We've done the math — take whichever is bigger.

We've auto-selected the better option. Tap either card to override.

Did you have health insurance all year in 2025 (last year)?

There's no federal penalty anymore for going uninsured — but some states (like CA, MA, NJ) still charge one.

Yes, all year

Part of the year

No, I didn't have insurance

Last thing — anything else going on?

These are less common, but can make a real difference. Check anything that applies.

I received unemployment benefits last year

Total unemployment benefits received

Unemployment benefits are fully taxable at the federal level.

I won gambling winnings or a prize

Total gambling winnings / prize value

I'm a K–12 teacher or educator

Teachers get up to $300 deduction for classroom supplies. We'll apply it automatically.

I had marketplace health insurance (received Form 1095-A)

I have foreign income or foreign bank accounts