Comparison · updated monthly
TaxAct is a low-cost option for US-domestic filers. It's not built for the expat forms you need once you're abroad.
TaxAct is a budget-friendly US tax product that genuinely undercuts the big names on price for straightforward domestic returns. To be fair: TaxAct does accept entry of the expat forms — including Form 8621 (up to 50 per return per its own support docs). What it doesn't do is the work around them: no foreign-brokerage import, no PFIC classification of your UCITS funds, no §1291/QEF/MtM guidance, no FBAR workflow. You need to already know which of your holdings are PFICs and what goes on each line. Atamatax is built specifically for that analysis.
Who TaxAct is for
TaxAct fits cost-conscious US-domiciled filers with W-2 income, a US brokerage 1099, and no foreign accounts. The moment you're abroad with a foreign brokerage, a foreign pension, or PFICs, it's the wrong tool.
Side-by-side
Price for a simple domestic return
- Atamatax
- Expat-focused; flat $299 / $499 / $799 per return.
- TaxAct Winner
- Among the cheaper US-domestic options.
Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (Form 2555)
- Atamatax Winner
- Built into the expat flow.
- TaxAct
- Form entry supported; no expat-guided flow.
Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116)
- Atamatax Winner
- Built-in, with the FEIE-vs-FTC decision guided.
- TaxAct
- Form entry supported; not expat-oriented.
Form 8621 (PFIC)
- Atamatax Winner
- Built-in with PFIC classification, brokerage import, and §1291/QEF/MtM math; up to 25 per return.
- TaxAct
- Form entry supported (up to 50) — but you must classify PFICs and compute the numbers yourself.
FBAR (FinCEN Form 114)
- Atamatax Winner
- Generated in the same flow.
- TaxAct
- Not included — FBAR is filed separately with FinCEN.
FATCA (Form 8938)
- Atamatax Winner
- Covered in the expat baseline.
- TaxAct
- Not an expat focus.
US-domestic complexity (rental, K-1, crypto)
- Atamatax
- Federal expat-baseline; some domestic schedules limited.
- TaxAct Winner
- Mature for domestic schedules.
Integrated e-file
- Atamatax
- Draft PDF package; no integrated e-file or transmission.
- TaxAct Winner
- E-file across all 50 states.
State returns
- Atamatax
- Federal-only in v1.
- TaxAct Winner
- 50 states.
The marked column indicates which product handles the feature more completely as of July 2026. We update this page when their offering changes — tell us if it's out of date.
Bottom line
If you're a US-domiciled filer on a budget, TaxAct is a reasonable, cheaper choice — it does more for domestic returns and files state. If you're an expat with a foreign brokerage or PFICs, TaxAct will accept the forms but leaves the hard part — classifying PFICs, importing foreign holdings, and computing the §1291/QEF/MtM figures — entirely to you. Atamatax is built for exactly that work.
Sources
Try it free
The on-screen draft is free. You pay when you generate the PDF package.
Start the wizard, see your real numbers, and decide from there.