Cash App Taxes

Free federal and state tax filing with no upsells

by block · Tax Compliance

Executive Summary

Cash App Taxes is a consumer DIY online tax prep and e-file platform that helps individuals prepare and file U.S. federal and a single state income tax return for $0. It is used by W-2 employees, investors, and many self-employed/gig workers who want a no-cost filing experience and are comfortable self-preparing without access to live tax pros. The core business value is eliminating software fees (including for many “complex” IRS forms competitors paywall) while still providing guided workflows, e-file submission, and basic guarantees. Differentiation is its single free tier (no upgrades) and its tight integration with Cash App identity/login (required) rather than a standalone tax-only account.

Use Cases

  • Free filing for W-2 employees who want federal + one state return with no upgrade fees
  • DIY filing for gig workers/sole proprietors reporting self-employment income (Schedule C) when supported
  • DIY filing for investors reporting capital gains/losses (Schedule D) when supported
  • Prior-year migration from TurboTax/H&R Block/TaxAct to a free platform via return import
  • Filing federal-only when state filing is unsupported or must be handled separately

Features

Visibility

  • Refund/amount due summary: Shows calculated refund or tax due as the user completes the return and before filing.
  • E-file submission status tracking: Displays whether the federal and state submissions are sent and accepted/rejected by tax authorities.
  • Return document access: Provides access to the completed return package for recordkeeping and future reference.
  • Basic issue prompts: Highlights incomplete sections and missing information needed to finalize filing.

Intelligence

  • W-2 photo upload capture: Automates data entry by extracting W-2 fields from an uploaded photo to populate wage information.
  • Prior-year return import: Imports prior-year return data from other tax software to speed setup and reduce re-entry.
  • Rules-based credit/deduction guidance: Uses questionnaire logic to route users through potentially applicable deductions/credits based on their answers.
  • Validation for unsupported scenarios: Detects certain unsupported filing situations (e.g., multiple states, part-year/nonresident state) and prevents e-file submission through the platform.

Support

  • Help center / support content: Self-serve support library focused on common filing questions and platform troubleshooting.
  • In-app chat support: Support is primarily through in-app chat within Cash App support flows (availability may vary).
  • Phone support (Cash App support line): Provides phone support via the official Cash App support number for account/product issues.

Technical Specifications

Architecture
Cloud-native SaaS (consumer web + mobile app) integrated with Cash App identity
Deployment
Cloud/SaaS
Authentication
Cash App account sign-in (SSO-style) with optional device/PIN/biometric protections in Cash App
API Available
No
MCP Server
No

AI/ML Stack

  • Computer Vision

Security & Compliance

Encryption: TLS (HTTPS) in transit; encryption at rest (algorithms not publicly specified for Cash App Taxes)

Data Residency: US

Pricing

Model
Free (no paid tiers)
Starting Price
$0 for federal and one state return
Target Customer
Consumers (individual DIY filers)
Contract Type
No contract (consumer self-serve)
Free Trial
Yes, Free to use (no trial concept; file at no cost) (credit card required)

Ratings & Reviews

G2: [object Object]/5 · Capterra: [object Object]/5 · Gartner: [object Object]/5

About block

Block, Inc. (formerly Square) is a technology company focused on financial services, building tools for merchants and consumers. Its ecosystem includes Square for point-of-sale and payment processing, Cash App for mobile payments and financial services, Afterpay for buy now, pay later, TIDAL for music streaming, Bitkey for bitcoin self-custody, Proto for decentralized bitcoin mining, and TBD for decentralized financial services.

Founded: 2009 · Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States · Employees: 1000+ · Public