OpenTax

What OpenTax does

For individual U.S. filers, OpenTax prepares Tax Year 2025 returns. Its 13-stage guided interview addresses income, deductions, credits and dependents, and each computed amount can be followed through source documents, IRS citations and the intervening calculations.

The standalone app accepts W-2s, 1099s and broker statements, using browser-local OCR. Completed returns become IRS-ready PDFs that can be downloaded, printed and mailed; electronic submission is not available.

Fees and plans

OpenTax offers a free plan. The provider says it remains free forever, has no upsells or paywalls, and gives everyone access to every feature.

The supplied information lists no separate filing, transaction or other user charge.

Where it runs

OpenTax is offered as web software, self-hosted software and an API. In the standalone version, calculations happen in the browser without an account or server, while return information is kept in that browser's IndexedDB.

You can clone the public repository, install the npm dependencies and run the application locally. The quickstart calls for Node.js 20 or later. Developers may invoke TaxService from Node.js, documented REST routes or a server-sent-events computation stream.

No iPhone or Android app is specified.

Protection, as OpenTax publishes it

According to its privacy policy, OpenTax neither collects nor transmits personal or tax information. Return data stays in the user's browser IndexedDB, and the service says it uses no cookies, analytics or trackers.

The Trust Center cites more than 2,300 automated tests, work covering over 20 IRS publications and 10 validated tax scenarios. It asks users to report tax-accuracy problems through a GitHub issue.

OpenTax says it has no IRS affiliation and is not tax advice. Its repository is distributed under the MIT License, subject to the license notice.

Strengths

The software lets users follow a return figure back to its documents, IRS references and the intermediate steps used to calculate it. Federal and state amounts are calculated together for the 42 supported states.

Browser-local computation, operation without an account and IndexedDB persistence keep the stated data on the user's device. Open-source code under the MIT License, along with self-hosting and API access, supports inspection and integration.

Catches and limits

There is no electronic filing. Users must rely on IRS Free File or mail printed returns, while e-file remains planned future work.

The stated limits exclude multi-state returns, business and prior-year returns, farming income and foreign-income reporting. Schedule F and foreign forms 2555, FBAR and 8938 are also outside scope.

OCR quality changes with document quality, resolution and formatting, so extracted amounts need review. Support is limited to Tax Year 2025.

Who should skip OpenTax

Filers who require electronic submission, multiple states on one return, business or prior-year forms, farming schedules or foreign reporting should look elsewhere.

People seeking a conventional filing service instead of browser software, self-hosting or APIs may prefer another option.

Verdict

OpenTax is aimed at individual filers preparing a 2025 U.S. return who value auditable calculations, local browser processing and open-source software at no charge. Its federal and 42-state coverage handles many personal returns, and PDFs can be printed and mailed.

It is unsuitable for anyone needing e-filing, multiple states in one return, business or prior-year forms, farming schedules or foreign-income reporting. OCR output must be checked, and no mobile apps or account-based support are described.

Questions