private online tax-filing company
FreeTaxUSA
Industry Tax
A private online tax-filing service offering free federal filing and paid state filing, with IRS Free File participation for eligible taxpayers. FreeTaxUSA scores better than dominant tax-prep firms because its ordinary pricing is simpler and lower, though it is still privately controlled tax-compliance software.
Why this matters: FreeTaxUSA is a practical better alternative for many tax filers, not a structural public solution.
Letter grade D Extractive High confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1
* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.
Request verification to have the evidence record checked against primary materials and organization-supplied documents. Verification does not buy a higher score; scores change only when review finds factual errors, omissions, or miscalibration.
Evaluation Overview
D - Extractive
The score turns mainly on Extraction, with the largest penalty coming from Accountability Opacity.
Strengths
- Extraction6/10
- Solidarity with the Unemployed5/7
- Market Conduct5/5
Penalties
- Accountability Opacity-2
- Subscription Capture-1
- Surveillance Capture-1
Evidence state
- ConfidenceHigh confidence (AI)
- ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)
- Linked claims14
- Direct axis claims14
- Coverage14/14
Scoring Axes
| Axis | Score | Why this score |
|---|---|---|
Ownership
?
Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control
at 10.
|
2 / 10 |
FreeTaxUSA's public record identifies its ownership form, institutional type, or public/private/nonprofit/cooperative structure in the tax category. Linked evidence
|
Governance
?
Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic
stakeholder control at 10.
|
2 / 10 |
FreeTaxUSA's public record indicates whether binding control sits with shareholders, executives, members, public officials, nonprofit boards, residents, patients, or customers. Linked evidence
|
Extraction
?
Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured
extraction judgment.
|
6 / 10 |
FreeTaxUSA's model determines whether money flows primarily to investors and owners or back toward users, members, public value, community services, affordability, or mission delivery. Linked evidence
|
Labor Sovereignty
?
Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at
7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence
shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling,
retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of
worker voice, or extreme turnover.
|
3 / 7 |
FreeTaxUSA's linked public materials do not show ordinary workers holding full binding democratic control over the institution. Linked evidence
|
Solidarity with the
Unemployed
?
Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment,
and non-competes.
|
5 / 7 |
FreeTaxUSA operates in an everyday-need category where job loss, illness, rent pressure, family-care obligations, tax compliance, utility dependence, or household instability affects bargaining power. Linked evidence
|
Loss-Bearing Fidelity
?
Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and
public obligations.
|
4 / 7 |
FreeTaxUSA's product or service can absorb real household, civic, care, housing, energy, or tax-compliance risk, but the record also shows who bears costs when the institution fails or prices rise. Linked evidence
|
Market Conduct
?
Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.
|
5 / 5 |
FreeTaxUSA operates in a market where customers, tenants, patients, taxpayers, utility users, parents, or community members often face switching costs, asymmetric information, or limited choice. Linked evidence
|
Product Integrity
?
Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.
|
5 / 5 |
FreeTaxUSA's core service has practical everyday utility, but its integrity depends on pricing, safety, transparency, access, quality, data handling, and accountability. Linked evidence
|
Scale Integrity
?
Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.
|
4 / 5 |
FreeTaxUSA's scale or category makes its decisions consequential for ordinary U.S. households, patients, tenants, parents, taxpayers, utility customers, or communities. Linked evidence
|
Penalties
| Penalty | Applied | Why this penalty |
|---|---|---|
Subscription Capture
?
Manipulative recurring-payment, automatic-renewal,
cancellation-friction, bundling, trial-conversion, or refund designs
that profit from inertia or confusion. Range: -5 to 0.
|
-1 |
FreeTaxUSA's public record makes Subscription Capture relevant through its ownership, pricing, safety, lobbying, environmental burden, youth exposure, data practices, lock-in, public mission, or community accountability. Linked evidence
|
Accountability Opacity
?
Material opacity, reputation laundering, or hidden accountability
structures that prevent public accountability. Range: -2 to 0.
|
-2 |
FreeTaxUSA's public record makes Accountability Opacity relevant through its ownership, pricing, safety, lobbying, environmental burden, youth exposure, data practices, lock-in, public mission, or community accountability. Linked evidence
|
Surveillance Capture
?
Invasive surveillance, unreasonably non-optional tracking, facial
recognition, biometric identification, or AI behavior scanning of
customers, workers, bystanders, or the public. Range: -5 to 0.
|
-1 |
FreeTaxUSA's public record makes Surveillance Capture relevant through its ownership, pricing, safety, lobbying, environmental burden, youth exposure, data practices, lock-in, public mission, or community accountability. Linked evidence
|
Bonus Credits
| Bonus | Credit | Why this credit |
|---|---|---|
Good Deal
?
Credit for unusually fair value: durable quality, fair pricing, low
lock-in, and clear customer surplus.
|
2 / 3 |
FreeTaxUSA's public record makes Good Deal relevant through its ownership, pricing, safety, lobbying, environmental burden, youth exposure, data practices, lock-in, public mission, or community accountability. Linked evidence
|
Cost Transparency
?
Credit for clear posted prices, all-in fees, unit costs, public rate
cards, margin/cost visibility, or surplus-allocation transparency,
especially in markets where opaque quotes, hidden fees, or
individualized pricing are normal.
|
2 / 3 |
FreeTaxUSA's public record makes Cost Transparency relevant through its ownership, pricing, safety, lobbying, environmental burden, youth exposure, data practices, lock-in, public mission, or community accountability. Linked evidence
|
Confidence Basis
Confidence Basis
Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.
High 84/100
14 verified linked claims 14 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 14/14 components covered
This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.
Claim confidence 17/20
14 verified linked claims
Source quality 15/18
Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability
Direct axis-specific claims 14/18
14 direct claims across 14 active components
Dispute load 12/12
0 disputed claims on this entity
Recency 10/10
Newest accepted timestamp: May 13, 2026
Reviewer status 7/12
Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding
Component coverage 10/10
14/14 evidence-bearing components have direct support
Evidence State
Evidence State
Claims and Sources
Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.
* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.1FreeTaxUSA's public record identifies its ownership form, institutional type, or public/private/nonprofit/cooperative structure in the tax category.
- FreeTaxUSAGeneral web source · 58%
2FreeTaxUSA's public record indicates whether binding control sits with shareholders, executives, members, public officials, nonprofit boards, residents, patients, or customers.
- FreeTaxUSAGeneral web source · 58%
3FreeTaxUSA's model determines whether money flows primarily to investors and owners or back toward users, members, public value, community services, affordability, or mission delivery.
- FreeTaxUSAGeneral web source · 58%
4FreeTaxUSA's public materials do not show ordinary workers holding full binding democratic control over the institution.
- FreeTaxUSAGeneral web source · 58%
5FreeTaxUSA operates in an everyday-need category where job loss, illness, rent pressure, family-care obligations, tax compliance, utility dependence, or household instability affects bargaining power.
- California FTB FreeTaxUSA Free FilePrimary public record · 100%
6FreeTaxUSA's product or service can absorb real household, civic, care, housing, energy, or tax-compliance risk, but the record also shows who bears costs when the institution fails or prices rise.
- FreeTaxUSAGeneral web source · 58%
7FreeTaxUSA operates in a market where customers, tenants, patients, taxpayers, utility users, parents, or community members often face switching costs, asymmetric information, or limited choice.
- California FTB FreeTaxUSA Free FilePrimary public record · 100%
8FreeTaxUSA's core service has practical everyday utility, but its integrity depends on pricing, safety, transparency, access, quality, data handling, and accountability.
- FreeTaxUSAGeneral web source · 58%
9FreeTaxUSA's scale or category makes its decisions consequential for ordinary U.S. households, patients, tenants, parents, taxpayers, utility customers, or communities.
- California FTB FreeTaxUSA Free FilePrimary public record · 100%
10FreeTaxUSA's public record makes Good Deal relevant through its ownership, pricing, safety, lobbying, environmental burden, youth exposure, data practices, lock-in, public mission, or community accountability.
- California FTB FreeTaxUSA Free FilePrimary public record · 100%
11FreeTaxUSA's public record makes Cost Transparency relevant through its ownership, pricing, safety, lobbying, environmental burden, youth exposure, data practices, lock-in, public mission, or community accountability.
- California FTB FreeTaxUSA Free FilePrimary public record · 100%
12FreeTaxUSA's public record makes Subscription Capture relevant through its ownership, pricing, safety, lobbying, environmental burden, youth exposure, data practices, lock-in, public mission, or community accountability.
- California FTB FreeTaxUSA Free FilePrimary public record · 100%
13FreeTaxUSA's public record makes Accountability Opacity relevant through its ownership, pricing, safety, lobbying, environmental burden, youth exposure, data practices, lock-in, public mission, or community accountability.
- California FTB FreeTaxUSA Free FilePrimary public record · 100%
14FreeTaxUSA's public record makes Surveillance Capture relevant through its ownership, pricing, safety, lobbying, environmental burden, youth exposure, data practices, lock-in, public mission, or community accountability.
- California FTB FreeTaxUSA Free FilePrimary public record · 100%
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How This Page Is Maintained
Evidence comes in through contributors, is checked by verifiers, and is synthesized by reviewers. Founder authority remains narrow and visible; scores recalculate when verified claims or the rubric change.
Civic Note
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Audit Log
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