TaxAct
TaxAct is an online and desktop tax preparation software offering federal and state tax filing for individuals and businesses. Acquired by European private equity firm Cinven for $720 million in 2022 and combined with professional tax software company Drake Software under the Taxwell holding company, it serves as a mid-tier alternative to TurboTax and H&R Block.
Score generated by AI agents based on publicly cited evidence and reviewed by the project maintainer. Not independently validated. Last assessed 2026-10-01. Score revised 2026-10-01: 56 → 47.
Score History
Timeline events are AI-curated from public reporting. Score trajectory is derived from documented events.
Four former Parsons Technology employees founded 2nd Story Software in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to sell low-cost tax software, and added online filing around 2000. In October 2002 it was among the companies that signed the IRS Free File Alliance agreement, which included an IRS promise not to offer its own free filing. Pricing was simple and there was no outside ownership.
In the 2005 season TaxAct became the first provider to offer free federal filing to all taxpayers, and the DOJ later cited H&R Block documents saying Intuit and H&R Block followed with free offers of their own. TA Associates bought a majority stake for $85 million in March 2005, bringing private equity ownership. The DOJ's 2011 suit blocking H&R Block's bid for TaxAct described it as a 'maverick' that kept prices low.
InfoSpace (renamed Blucora) bought TaxAct for $287.5 million after the court blocked H&R Block's bid, and added a Super Bowl ad, the Balance Financial acquisition and, in 2015, the $580 million HD Vest broker-dealer pitched as a lead source among TaxAct's customers. Prices stayed low (Deluxe $12.99 plus $7 per state in 2015), but the free edition came with upsell hurdles and no way to downgrade, and from about 2014 Google Analytics on the filing site received taxpayer financial data without disclosure. In 2016 TaxAct pledged to end bait-and-switch pricing.
TaxAct added the Meta Pixel in 2018, sending filing status, income, refund amounts and dependents' names, including Free File users' data, to Meta while its privacy notices promised not to share such data. Its BluPrint report steered filers to partner lenders and insurers (Credible in 2018; Ethos and KeyBank in 2019), expert help became the paid Xpert Assist add-on in 2021, and Premier+ was $39.95 in 2020. The IRS dropped its promise not to compete with Free File members in December 2019.
Cinven closed its $720 million purchase of TaxAct and combined it with Drake Software (renamed Taxwell in 2023), weeks after The Markup exposed TaxAct's sharing of taxpayer data with Meta. Congressional letters, a class action, a Missouri AG suit, FTC warnings, a $23 million settlement and a 2024 DOJ referral followed. List prices rose sharply (Premier $69.95 in 2023 to $94.99 in 2025) while IRS Direct File offered a free government alternative in 2024 and 2025.
Treasury ended IRS Direct File for the 2026 season and pointed taxpayers back to the industry-run Free File program, in which TaxAct is a partner. TaxAct entered the 2026 season with higher list prices (Premier $99.99 by fall 2026), expanded paid Xpert Full Service and new Refund Advance loans. In August 2026 Connecticut fined it $275,000 over its past data sharing, and a source claimed to have pulled over 2 million user records through unauthenticated endpoints.
Alternatives
Free federal filing with a $15.99 state return, far cheaper than TaxAct's paid tiers, and it handles common situations including investments, self-employment and itemized deductions. Switching is easy: it imports a PDF of your prior-year TaxAct return.
Completely free federal and state filing with no paid tiers to upsell, a direct answer to TaxAct's layered fees for filers whose situations it supports.
Dimensional Breakdown
Summaries below were written by AI agents based on the cited evidence. They are editorial interpretations, not independent research findings.
Dimension History
Timeline (52 events)
2nd Story Software Founded in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Lance Dunn, Jerry McConnell, Cammie Greif, and Alan Sperfslage, veterans of Parsons Technology (acquired by Intuit in 1994), founded 2nd Story Software to build affordable tax preparation software. The company was headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
TaxAct Launches Cloud-Based Online Tax Filing
TaxAct released a cloud-based version of its tax preparation software, enabling online filing for the first time. This positioned the company as an early entrant in web-based tax preparation alongside TurboTax and H&R Block.
Free File Alliance Agreement Signed with IRS
The IRS signed an agreement with 17 tax software companies forming the Free File Alliance, including TaxAct. The agreement committed the IRS to not compete with private companies by building its own free filing system, effectively creating a structural barrier against government-provided free filing for over 20 years.
TaxAct First to Offer Free Federal Filing to All Taxpayers
In the 2005 tax season TaxAct became the first tax software provider to offer free federal tax preparation and e-filing to all U.S. taxpayers regardless of income, age or complexity. A DOJ antitrust complaint later quoted H&R Block documents saying Intuit and then H&R Block followed with their own free offers. By 2015 TaxAct said its free federal edition covered all of its roughly 200 e-fileable IRS forms, including Schedules C, D and E, versus 50-80 forms in competitors' free products.
TA Associates Acquires Two-Thirds of TaxAct for $85 Million
Boston-based private equity firm TA Associates completed an $85 million recapitalization of 2nd Story Software, becoming a majority shareholder. The founders retained a minority stake. This was the company's first private equity ownership, reflecting its growth from a small Iowa startup to a significant player in the tax software market.
DOJ Files Antitrust Suit to Block H&R Block's TaxAct Acquisition
The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit to block H&R Block's proposed $287.5 million acquisition of TaxAct, arguing the three largest firms served about 90% of the digital DIY tax preparation market and the deal would combine the second- and third-largest providers, leaving a virtual duopoly with TurboTax. The DOJ's complaint described TaxAct as a 'maverick' competitor that had kept prices low.
Federal Court Issues Permanent Injunction Blocking H&R Block Merger
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell issued a permanent injunction on October 31, 2011 blocking H&R Block's acquisition of TaxAct's parent 2SS Holdings, finding the merger would substantially lessen competition in the market for digital do-it-yourself tax preparation products. In a November 15, 2011 SEC filing, H&R Block said it was calling off the acquisition.
InfoSpace Announces $287.5 Million Acquisition of TaxAct
Seattle-based InfoSpace, Inc. announced a definitive agreement to acquire 2nd Story Software (TaxAct) for $287.5 million in cash, the same price H&R Block had offered. The acquisition was completed on January 31, 2012. TaxAct had revenues of $78.1 million and adjusted EBITDA of $37.8 million for the prior 12 months.
TaxAct Runs Super Bowl Ad Promoting Free Filing
TaxAct aired its first Super Bowl commercial, 'Free to Pee,' promoting its free federal tax filing. The ad ranked 11th most-liked by USA TODAY's viewer panel with a 7.86/10 rating. The bold marketing investment reflected TaxAct's strategy of using free filing as a customer acquisition tool.
InfoSpace Rebrands as Blucora Following TaxAct Acquisition
InfoSpace, Inc. changed its corporate name to Blucora, Inc. and its NASDAQ ticker to BCOR, reflecting the strategic shift from being primarily a search company to a financial technology company with TaxAct as its core asset.
TaxAct Acquires Balance Financial for Personal Finance Tools
Under Blucora ownership, TaxAct acquired Balance Financial, a Bellevue-based company specializing in personal finance tools and services. The acquisition aimed to expand TaxAct beyond tax filing into year-round financial planning, adding cross-sell opportunities.
TaxAct Begins Undisclosed Google Analytics Tracking of Taxpayer Data
TaxAct implemented Google Analytics tracking on its tax filing platform beginning around 2014, collecting and transmitting taxpayer financial data including income, filing status, and refund amounts to Google without disclosing this practice to users. The tracking continued for eight years before being publicly exposed.
Reviewer Documents TaxAct Upsell Hurdles and No-Downgrade Policy
Reviewing TaxAct for the 2014 tax year, My Money Blog reported that Free federal filing came with a $14.99 state return, while Deluxe cost $12.99 federal plus $7 per state. The reviewer gave up on the Free edition 'after multiple hurdles and upsell attempts' and noted that once a user upgrades there is no way to downgrade: they must start over with a new account.
TaxAct Acquires SimpleTax Software in Canada
Blucora subsidiary TaxAct acquired SimpleTax Software Inc., a Canadian digital tax preparation provider, expanding into international markets. The company was later sold to Wealthsimple in 2019 for $9.6 million.
Blucora Acquires HD Vest for $580 Million
TaxAct's parent Blucora agreed to acquire HD Vest, a tax-focused independent broker-dealer with 4,500 advisors managing $36 billion in client assets, for $580 million. HD Vest's CEO said Blucora's 5.5 million TaxAct customers represented a potential lead-generation opportunity for HD Vest advisors, marking Blucora's shift toward financial services.
TaxAct Credential Stuffing Breach Affects 450 Accounts
TaxAct notified 450 customers that their accounts were accessed by unauthorized parties between November 10 and December 4, 2015. Names, Social Security Numbers, and tax returns may have been compromised. TaxAct additionally froze 9,000 accounts requiring additional verification. The company attributed the breach to credentials obtained from external sources, not a direct system compromise.
TaxAct Pledges to End Bait-and-Switch Pricing Tactics
TaxAct publicly acknowledged that 'bait and switch tactics have become a common pattern' in the DIY online tax industry and announced changes for its 2016 Free Edition: no forced upgrades for simple returns, free phone support, elimination of the TaxAct Basic tier, and a $5 flat fee (instead of a required upgrade) to import a prior-year TaxAct return. It also highlighted its Price Lock Guarantee, under which online customers paid the price listed when they started their return. The company positioned itself as the anti-bait-and-switch alternative.
TaxAct Launches BluPrint Financial Assessment Reports
TaxAct introduced BluPrint Financial Assessment for the 2017 filing season, offering customers a complimentary report analyzing their tax return and pointing to ways to lower next year's tax bill, as the first of several year-round financial guidance tools built on tax-return data.
TaxAct Adds Meta Pixel Tracking to Tax Filing Platform
According to the 2023 congressional report, TaxAct began using Meta's tracking tools in 2018. The Meta Pixel on its tax filing site transmitted taxpayer data including filing status, adjusted gross income and refund amounts to Meta without clear disclosure to users. All three companies examined stopped using the pixel after The Markup's November 2022 report, so the tracking ran for roughly four years.
TaxAct Introduces $100K Accuracy Guarantee
TaxAct launched a $100,000 accuracy guarantee for returns from the 2017 tax year onward, promising to pay the difference in refund or tax and cover penalties, interest and documented audit costs up to $100,000 if a software error caused them. The terms exclude user errors and require a claim within 60 days of e-filing or within 30 days of the IRS or state imposing a penalty.
TaxAct Partners With Credible to Pitch Loans Through BluPrint Reports
TaxAct announced a partnership with Credible.com so customers whose BluPrint financial reports, built from their tax returns, said they could refinance student loans or qualify for personal loans could view rates from multiple lenders. TaxAct's president said a tax return 'reveals many clues' about a customer's financial health.
BluPrint Adds Life Insurance and Bank Offers From Ethos and KeyBank
TaxAct expanded BluPrint with offers from partners Credible (loans and credit cards), Ethos (life insurance) and KeyBank (savings products, loans, debt consolidation and credit cards), turning the free tax-return-based report into a referral channel for financial products.
ProPublica Exposes TurboTax Free File Deception, Industry Under Scrutiny
ProPublica revealed that Intuit deliberately hid TurboTax's Free File page from search engines using 'noindex,nofollow' code. While TaxAct was not the target, the reporting put the Free File program and its industry members under public scrutiny and fed into the IRS's reform of the agreement later that year.
IRS Reforms Free File Agreement, Drops Competition Prohibition
Following ProPublica's reporting and public pressure, the IRS reformed its Free File agreement. The key change removed the long-standing clause that prohibited the IRS from building its own free filing system, opening the door for what would eventually become IRS Direct File. Companies were also barred from hiding Free File from search results.
TaxAct Launches Xpert Assist Paid Support Add-On
TaxAct introduced Xpert Assist, a paid add-on giving filers unlimited, on-demand access to CPAs, enrolled agents and tax specialists during filing, including screen sharing. It could be added to any TaxAct product, including the Free edition. The add-on moved expert tax advice into a separately priced tier.
Cinven Invests in Drake Software, Beginning Tax Consolidation Strategy
European private equity firm Cinven made a significant investment in Drake Software, a professional tax preparation software provider used by more than 64,000 tax professionals that processed over 33 million returns a year. Cinven later combined Drake with TaxAct under a single holding company.
Intuit Pays $141 Million TurboTax Settlement, Validating Free File Criticism
Intuit agreed to a $141 million settlement with 51 attorneys general over deceptive 'free' advertising for TurboTax. While TaxAct was not a defendant, the settlement validated years of criticism of the Free File Alliance's practices and the industry's pattern of steering eligible taxpayers away from genuinely free options. TaxAct benefited from this same industry framework.
Cinven Acquires TaxAct from Blucora for $720 Million
European private equity firm Cinven agreed to acquire TaxAct from Blucora for $720 million in cash. Blucora received approximately $620 million in after-tax proceeds and rebranded as Avantax to focus on wealth management. Bloomberg Tax noted the transaction 'raises questions about propriety' given the PE model's focus on extraction. TaxAct would be merged with Cinven's existing investment, Drake Software.
The Markup Exposes Tax Filing Companies Sharing Data with Facebook
The Markup's 'Pixel Hunt' investigation revealed that TaxAct, H&R Block, and TaxSlayer had been transmitting sensitive taxpayer financial data to Meta through the Meta Pixel. Data included names, email addresses, income, filing status, refund amounts, and dependents' college scholarship amounts. TaxAct's pixel transmitted filing status, adjusted gross income rounded to the nearest thousand, and refund amounts rounded to the nearest hundred.
Senator Warren Questions TaxAct About Taxpayer Data Sharing
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Katie Porter and Brad Sherman, sent letters to TaxAct, H&R Block, TaxSlayer, Meta, and Google demanding detailed information about what taxpayer data was gathered, for how long, and whether companies would use mandatory arbitration to block civil suits.
Cinven Completes TaxAct Acquisition, Combines It With Drake Software
Cinven completed its $720 million acquisition of TaxAct and combined it with Drake Software under a single holding company, with both brands continuing to operate separately. Dermot Halpin, formerly of TripAdvisor and Expedia, was appointed Executive Chair. At the time Drake served more than 70,000 tax offices, and TaxAct said it had served more than 90 million individual filers to date.
TaxAct Class Action Filed Over Meta and Google Data Sharing
A class action, Smith-Washington v. TaxAct, Inc. (No. 3:23-cv-00830), was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging TaxAct violated privacy and tax laws by sending confidential taxpayer data to Meta and Google through the Meta Pixel and Google Analytics without consent.
Parent Company Rebranded as Taxwell
Drake Software and TaxAct announced that their parent holding company would operate under the name Taxwell. Both brands continued to operate independently to serve their differentiated customer bases, but the unified branding signaled Cinven's consolidation of the consumer and professional tax preparation markets under single PE ownership.
Congressional Report Finds TaxAct 'Recklessly' Shared Taxpayer Data
An investigation led by Senator Warren with Senators Wyden, Blumenthal, Duckworth, Sanders and Whitehouse and Representative Katie Porter (all Democrats except independent Sanders) found that TaxAct, H&R Block and TaxSlayer 'recklessly' shared taxpayer data with Meta and Google. Meta tools used by TaxAct collected 'far more information than was previously reported,' including names of dependents and approximate federal tax owed, and the data of TaxAct's IRS Free File users was shared too. The lawmakers sent the findings to the IRS, Treasury Inspector General, DOJ and FTC, asking them to investigate and prosecute.
Missouri Attorney General Sues TaxAct for Data Sharing Violations
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed suit against TaxAct, H&R Block, and TaxSlayer for illegally sharing sensitive taxpayer data with Meta, Google, and other tech companies via tracking pixels. The suit alleged violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, noting companies promised in privacy policies not to share data with third parties.
Warren and Porter Condemn Tax Prep Lobbying Against Free Filing
Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Katie Porter sent letters to the Free File Alliance, the American Coalition for Taxpayer Rights, Intuit and H&R Block over their lobbying against the IRS's direct free filing tool, seeking information on revenue tied to Free File and on former government officials hired to lobby. TaxAct, as an Alliance member, was part of this industry structure.
FTC Warns TaxAct About Invasive Online Tracking of Taxpayers
The Federal Trade Commission sent formal warnings to five tax preparation companies, including TaxAct, that they could face civil penalties of up to $50,120 per violation for misusing consumer data through tracking pixels. The FTC specifically warned that using tracking technologies to collect personal information without express consent constitutes an unfair or deceptive practice.
TaxAct Settles Missouri AG Lawsuit for $195,000
TaxAct was the first of three defendants to settle Missouri Attorney General Bailey's data-sharing lawsuit, agreeing to pay $195,000 and strengthen its data-sharing consent practices. Under the consent decree, TaxAct agreed not to disclose any consumer tax information without first obtaining explicit taxpayer consent.
IRS Launches Direct File Pilot in 12 States
The IRS launched its Direct File pilot, letting taxpayers with simple returns in 12 states file federal returns online for free directly with the IRS, the first time the agency offered its own filing tool. Treasury estimated 19 million taxpayers were eligible. The pilot was possible because the 2019 Free File addendum dropped the IRS's promise not to compete.
TaxAct Agrees to $23 Million Class Action Settlement
TaxAct agreed to settle the Smith-Washington class action for approximately $23 million, including a $14.95 million cash pool for affected users. The settlement covered anyone who used TaxAct's online consumer Form 1040 product between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2022. Individual payouts were estimated at approximately $18.65 per claimant.
IRS Announces Direct File Expansion to 24 States for 2025 Filing Season
Treasury and the IRS announced Direct File would double to 24 states for the 2025 filing season and cover more tax situations, with more than 30 million taxpayers eligible. In the 2024 pilot more than 140,000 taxpayers filed and over 90% of surveyed users rated the experience excellent or above average. The free government tool was a direct competitive threat to TaxAct's paid products.
Lawmakers Urge DOJ to Probe TaxAct, Citing Inspector General Findings
Senators Warren, Wyden and Blumenthal and Rep. Katie Porter wrote to the DOJ urging it to investigate TaxSlayer, H&R Block, TaxAct and Ramsey Solutions over pixel data sharing with Meta, noting they had asked since July 2023. They cited the Treasury Inspector General's finding, confirmed by the IRS, that the companies' taxpayer consent statements did not comply with Treasury Regulation 301.7216.
Court Grants Final Approval of TaxAct Data-Sharing Settlement
Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California granted final approval of the $23 million TaxAct class action settlement. The order made the settlement binding and authorized distribution of the $14.95 million cash pool to eligible claimants who filed valid claims by the September 11, 2024 deadline.
Objectors Appeal TaxAct Settlement, Delaying Cash Payments
Two class members, James Kirkham and Matthew Sessoms, appealed the final approval of the TaxAct data-sharing settlement to the Ninth Circuit (No. 25-128). The settlement administrator said free Xpert Assist became available to authorized claimants on January 7, 2025, but cash payments are delayed until all appeals are resolved; as of late 2026 the administrator still showed that notice.
TaxAct Expands Xpert Assist Tiers with New Pricing
TaxAct added Xpress Connect, a single 20-minute session with a credentialed tax professional, alongside its Xpert Assist Unlimited Access tier, added phone and chat options, extended Xpert Assist to business filers, and said further help options for complex situations were in development. Expert help remained a paid add-on layered on top of filing fees.
Third Circuit Revives TaxAct Bid to Force Privacy Claims Into Arbitration
In Kirkham v. TaxAct, a Pennsylvania suit alleging TaxAct shared users' information with Meta and Google in violation of federal tax law and the state wiretap act, TaxAct appealed the denial of its motion to compel arbitration under its Terms of Service. The Third Circuit vacated the denial in a non-precedential opinion and remanded for limited discovery.
Free File Industry Group Lobbies on Reconciliation Bill's Free File Provisions
Free File, Inc., the group of IRS Free File partners that includes TaxAct, reported lobbying on IRS Free File issues in the Senate reconciliation bill (Sec. 70614) and on the bill's IRS tax-filing provisions, through Stephen M. Ryan and Jones Walker. Its 2025 filings report about $76,000 in lobbying income, with filings continuing in 2026.
TaxAct List Prices Up as Much as 36% Since 2023
TaxAct's online product page listed federal prices of $54.99 for Deluxe, $94.99 for Premier and $109.99 for Self-Employed, up from $46.95, $69.95 and $94.95 in March 2023. Premier's list price rose about 36% in roughly two years under Cinven's ownership.
Trump Administration Cancels IRS Direct File Program
The IRS confirmed Direct File would not be available for the 2026 filing season. A Treasury report to Congress cited low participation (fewer than 0.5% of about 146 million returns in tax year 2024) and costs of at least $41 million, and said the IRS would focus on the industry-run Free File program instead. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the private sector 'can do a better job.' The decision removed the only free government-run filing option, which TaxAct's paid products had competed against.
TaxAct Adds Refund Advance Loans and Expands Paid Full Service
For the 2026 season TaxAct expanded Xpert Full Service, its do-it-for-me tier with Spanish-language support, launched a mobile app and document recognition, and offered Refund Advance loans of $250-$1,000 from Republic Bank & Trust (0% APR) to filers who bought a fee-based federal product and took their refund by direct deposit.
Source Claims 2 Million TaxAct User Records Pulled via Unauthenticated Endpoints
DataBreaches.net reported that an anonymous source claimed to have acquired more than 2 million TaxAct records with phone numbers, usernames and email addresses through unauthenticated API endpoints, and that 450,000 records were posted on a Russian-language forum. The site verified some records; the source said TaxAct engaged briefly and then stopped responding. TaxAct had not publicly confirmed the incident.
Connecticut AG Settles With TaxAct for $275,000 Over Data Sharing
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a $275,000 settlement after finding that from 2018 to 2022 TaxAct disclosed rounded AGI, refunds or taxes owed, dependents and deduction details to Meta and Google, under a Meta contract with no limit on Meta's use, while its privacy notices promised otherwise. TaxAct must set up a tracking review committee, tag monitoring and two independent audits.
Evidence (46 citations)
D1: User Value Erosion
D2: Business Customer Exploitation
D3: Shareholder Extraction
D4: Lock-in & Switching Costs
D5: Twiddling & Algorithmic Opacity
D6: Dark Patterns
D7: Advertising & Monetization Pressure
D8: Competitive Conduct
D9: Labor & Governance
D10: Regulatory & Legal Posture
Scoring Log (6 entries)
Checked 88 items (41 timeline, 40 evidence, 5 milestones, 2 alternatives) + prose. 38 verified, 32 corrected (8 date-only), 16 re-sourced, 2 removed. Invented (contradicted): 2016 prior-year import described as free (TaxAct 2016 release: $5 flat fee); 'dependents' college scholarship amounts' attributed to TaxAct (The Markup: that was H&R Block). Unsupported and removed: Premier+ $84.99, '1.5 stars/17%' now 1.6/13%, website timeouts, email discounts not honored, a ConsumerAffairs quote, 'conversion points', Glassdoor 3.0 stars, PE hold-period figures, CPA Trendlines 8-13%, Xpert Full Service from $149. Contradicted claim that AI bots replaced live support. Fixed bipartisan->Democratic congressional probe, Direct File 24 vs 25 states and 90% vs 94%, settlement date (Feb 2024), maverick attribution (DOJ, not court).
56->47. Since Feb 2026: list prices up again (Premier $94.99 -> $99.99, Deluxe $54.99 -> $59.99), Refund Advance loans and expanded Xpert Full Service (Jan 2026), Connecticut AG $275K data-sharing settlement (Aug 2026), alleged exposure of 2M+ user records via unauthenticated endpoints (Aug 2026), class-settlement cash still held by a pending Ninth Circuit objector appeal; Direct File ended Nov 2025. Dimensions: D2 4->3 (recalibration: no evidence of professional-customer exploitation; Free File data sharing is historical), D3 6->5 (recalibration: PE buyout plus price escalation, but no layoffs, recaps or product starvation on record), D4 5->3 (recalibration: no network effects, rivals import TaxAct PDFs; criteria 2-3), D5 5->4 (recalibration: pixel tracking ended 2022; current opacity is seasonal/promo pricing), D7 7->6 (recalibration: layered fees fit 6, data monetization ended 2022), D8 5->4 (recalibration: Free File member that benefits but does not lead anti-IRS efforts), D9 5->4 (correction: fact audit contradicted the AI-replaced-support claim behind it; new breach allegation keeps it at 4), D10 7->6 (recalibration: heavy privacy enforcement record but no consent-decree violations or own lobbying). D1 6 and D6 6 unchanged. Eras: 1998 and 2005 kept; 2018 kept (summary revised, HD Vest moved to Blucora era); Blucora era re-dated 2012-02-01->2012-01-31 (acquisition close); 2022 era re-dated 2022-12-01->2022-12-19 (Cinven close) and relabeled 'PE Acquisition & Pixel Exposure'->'Cinven Buyout & Pixel Fallout'; final era re-dated from assessment date 2026-02-15 to 2025-11-05 (Direct File cancellation) and relabeled 'PE Extraction Intensifies'->'Direct File Shutdown'. Alternatives: IRS Direct File removed (discontinued), Cash App Taxes added, FreeTaxUSA trimmed to verified claims.
Triaged 2026-06-30 (Wave A); no rescore warranted (no material change / changes sub-threshold / flag refuted on verification).
Fixed IRS Direct File description — was described as currently available in 25+ states but was discontinued for 2026 filing season