TurboTax is rolling out new features for its online tax filing software before the 2025 tax season, including improvements thereto generative AI and a new tracking tool you can use when you turn your taxes over to an expert.
Owned by Intuit, TurboTax was CNET’s top pick for online tax filing two years in a row, winning 2024 Editors’ Choice Award. Its intuitive interface and helpful guidance make it easy to file your taxes quickly – and these new features can speed up the process for more filers.
Although we haven’t tested either option yet – stay tuned for our 2025 tax review. – here’s what we know so far.
What’s new with TurboTax’s generative AI?
From what I can tell, the improvements to TurboTax’s generative AI, also known as Intuit Assist, this year are minor compared to what the company released last year. But I look forward to testing these features in my upcoming review.
TurboTax says tax preparers can expect to fill out even fewer forms by hand this coming tax season because it has expanded the number of tax documents its AI software can analyze and automatically complete tax returns.
Existing TurboTax, CreditKarma and QuickBooks customers will benefit the most from this. But first-time users can now transfer their previous year’s tax return from most online tax preparation services — including expert-filed returns — to help automate the return process.
TurboTax’s Intuit Assist launched last year with several different features, including:
- Analyze your uploaded tax documents and create a custom checklist to complete your taxes yourself.
- Real-time flagging of potential errors during the submission process instead of just scanning for them before you submit.
- Matching with a tax expert based on your tax situation.
The new features may speed up the time to file your tax return, but I suggest double-checking all the fields that are auto-filled. Just like humans, AI can make mistakes, so verifying your information is important to avoid any complications.
TurboTax’s Live Full Service Tracker keeps track of your return
Just like last year, if you want an expert to file your taxes for you, you can hand them over by signing up for TurboTax Live Full Service, which currently starts at $89. New this year, you’ll have access to a tracking tool to check the status of your tax return after you’ve sent it to a tax preparer. The tool, available only on TurboTax’s iOS mobile app at launch, will notify you when your taxes have been filed or if the tax preparer has questions.
Previously, full-service tax preparation required you to stay in touch with the tax preparer throughout the process.
“We’ve heard from our full-service clients that some like the option to stay on the line with an expert while they file their taxes,” said Lisa Green-Lewis, TurboTax CPA and tax expert. “However, many did not want to be tied to the expert.”
TurboTax Full Service customers can expect their taxes to be filed in just two hours this year, according to the company.
If you choose expert assistance, either through Full Service or TurboTax Live Assisted, you can now select your tax expert from a list of options based on your tax situation. The Assisted Tier of TurboTax gives you access to a tax expert to answer your tax questions live.
