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Taxes · Software review

TurboTax review

4.2/5

The most polished, hand-held tax software in Canada — and the most expensive once you leave the free tier. Worth it if you value the guided interview and the option to escalate to an expert; overkill if you just want the cheapest certified filing.

Best for: Filers who want a polished, hand-held experience and the option to escalate to an expert — and will pay a premium for it.

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Pros

  • The smoothest step-by-step interview, with a clear upgrade path as the return gets complex
  • Two tiers of human help — Assist & Review (expert checks it) and Full Service (expert files it)
  • Strong iOS and Android apps alongside the web version
  • Audit support bundled into the assisted tiers

Cons

  • The most expensive option — paid tiers run about $30 to $70, assisted up to $315
  • The free tier is restrictive: any investment or self-employment income forces an upgrade
  • Full Service is not available in Quebec

What TurboTax is

TurboTax, made by Intuit, is the market leader and the most polished DIY experience in Canada. Its interview-style flow asks plain-language questions and fills the forms behind the scenes, which is exactly what nervous or first-time filers want. It is NETFILE certified and files the Quebec TP-1.

Where it stands apart is human help. Assist & Review (about $70–$150 per return) puts an expert on your finished return to check it; Full Service (about $120–$315) hands the whole thing to an expert who prepares and files it for you. Full Service is not offered in Quebec.

Pricing — where it gets expensive

The DIY online tiers run Free, Deluxe (~$30), Premier (~$50) and Self-Employed (~$70). The free tier covers only simple returns — employment, pension, RRSP, EI — so the moment you add donations, medical, investments or self-employment you are paying. That is the trade-off versus Wealthsimple Tax, which does those same situations for $0.

See exactly how it stacks up in our Wealthsimple Tax vs TurboTax vs H&R Block head-to-head.

Frequently asked questions

How much does TurboTax cost?
Free for simple returns; DIY tiers about $30–$70; expert help extra. The Free tier covers employment, pension, RRSP, child-care and EI income only — donations, medical, investments, capital gains, rental and self-employment all require a paid tier. Prices verified at TurboTax's own site on June 13, 2026 — they change through the tax season, so confirm before you buy. Compare the field on our best tax software ranking.
Is TurboTax certified by the CRA (NETFILE)?
TurboTax states it is NETFILE certified; we mark this "provider-stated" because the CRA's list was not independently reachable from our tooling. NETFILE caps any single product at 20 returns per year.
Can TurboTax file a Quebec return?
Files the Quebec TP-1; Full Service assisted filing is not offered in Quebec. Quebec residents file a separate TP-1 return on top of the federal one — see which tools handle it best in our three-way comparison.

The bottom line

Pick TurboTax if you want the most reassuring DIY experience and the comfort of an expert a click away — and you do not mind paying for it. If your return is straightforward, or you are happy to file free with investment income, Wealthsimple Tax does the same job for less.

See how TurboTax compares

All seven Canadian tax tools, verified at the source and ranked.

Visit TurboTax Compare all seven

This review is educational, not tax advice. Prices, tiers and NETFILE status shown were verified at TurboTax's own published pages on June 13, 2026 and change without notice — tax-software pricing in particular shifts through the season. Our editorial rating reflects cost, breadth, platform reach and help options; it is never paid for. Confirm current terms on the provider's site before you file. See our methodology.