How It Works
From signup to personalized tax plan, in about 15 minutes.
Here's what actually happens — step by step, with the real product screens.
The flow
Tell us about 2025
Enter some numbers from your 2025 tax return. Or, drop your return into the app and we'll pull out the numbers, filing status, and household structure automatically. Confirm the extractions, click submit. About one minute.
Add a recent paystub
One paystub tells us your pay frequency, YTD tax withholdings, YTD contributions (401(k), HSA, health insurance), and projected full-year income. We annualize it automatically. 30 seconds.
Answer a few quick questions
The things we can't extract from documents: major life events this year, filing-status changes, equity-compensation grants. About 2 minutes.
See your 2026 baseline
We give you a complete projected Federal tax return for 2026. See the key lines of your 1040, Schedule A, Schedule D, AMT, NIIT, credits, phase-outs. All the math. The number at the bottom is what we forecast you'll owe (or get back) — free.
Apply strategies and see the dollar impact
Strategies are personalized to your situation — Roth conversions, HSA optimization, ISO exercise planning, Mega Backdoor Roth, ESPP, and RSU timing. Apply any one, and the entire return is recomputed from scratch. You see exactly what it saves. New to any of these? Start with our Tax Guides.
What makes this different
Tax content is written for everyone and optimized for no one. Your tax filing software looks backward. AlwaysOnTax looks forward — and computes against your numbers.
| You've tried | What you get | What AlwaysOnTax adds |
|---|---|---|
| Tax filing software | Last year's tax, filed. | Next year's taxes, modeled. |
| Google, articles | The general rule. | The exact dollar impact on your return. |
| A CPA | Personalized planning — often for hundreds per hour. | The same math, delivered as software. |
Model your tax situation. Make informed decisions.
We walk you through the moves
Every strategy comes with an execution guide. Not generic advice — specific steps for your numbers: per-paycheck 401(k) contribution tables, ISO exercise timing with AMT breakevens, Roth conversion amounts year by year.
Frequently asked questions
- Does AlwaysOnTax file my tax return?
- No. AlwaysOnTax is a tax planning platform, for optimizing next year's taxes. We model your upcoming year so you can act on it before December 31, then you file with whatever filing software of professional you already use.
- Do I still need a CPA for tax planning?
- Many users don't. AlwaysOnTax delivers the same kind of personalized, dollar-quantified planning a CPA would — Roth conversions, ISO exercise timing, charitable strategies — as software, with your actual numbers. Users may choose to bring their AlwaysOnTax results to their CPA when it's time to file.
- How is this different from tax filing software?
- Tax filing software looks backward — it files last year's return. AlwaysOnTax looks forward — it projects next year's return and shows the exact dollar impact of decisions you can still make: 401(k) contributions, ISO exercises, Roth conversions, and more.
- What do I need to get started?
- A copy of your most recent Federal tax return, a recent paystub for each working household member, and about 15 minutes.
- Does AlwaysOnTax handle state taxes?
- Not yet. AlwaysOnTax models Federal taxes only. State and local tax planning is on the roadmap but not yet supported.