No one enjoys tax season, but there’s one piece of filing your taxes that can bring happiness: getting your tax refund. Everyone wants to get a little money back come tax time, but figuring out just how much of a refund you’re owed can be tricky.

Here’s what you need to know in order to figure out just how much you could get back as a tax refund before you even file your return.

Use a Free Tax Refund Calculator Before You File Your Taxes

Determining what your refund will be is no simple task – unless you’re a tax pro, that is. In order to calculate your tax refund, you need to know the current tax laws and reforms, the amount taken out of your pay through withholding, and the different deductions, investments, and other factors that can result in owing more or less in taxes annually.

But if you’re hoping for a solid tax refund this year, you don’t have to wait until you’ve filed your taxes and received your refund check in the mail. With a tax refund calculator, you can actually find out how much you’ll be getting back from the government right now.

Fortunately, there are many, many helpful tax calculators online, and they’re completely free to use. A quick search online will give you plenty of different tax refund calculators to try – and in just a few seconds, you’re able to see just how much you could get back after filing your taxes. These calculators will use information like the number of dependents, your investment totals, and your annual income to determine your refund in no time at all, for $0.

And these free online tax refund calculators are accurate too. In fact, some are so accurate that they come with a guarantee. FreeTaxUSA, for example, will refund you the cost of their services if your refund is more than what was estimated. And H&R Block factors in the latest tax reform policies and updates, showing you how these changes will affect your taxes and refund right in their online calculator.

Compare Services to Get the Best Refund Possible

Now that you know these free tax refund calculators exist online, you’re ready to find out what you’ll get back from the government during tax season. However, there’s one important step to take before you pick a calculator and file your taxes: you need to compare calculators, refund totals, and your results.

Just like you’d shop around for the best price before making an important purchase, you should take the time to shop around for tax prep help. While there are many helpful and handy tax refund calculators online, it’s a smart idea to try out a few calculators from different tax companies and services before deciding which service you’ll use to file your taxes.

Carefully comparing the refunds estimated by online tax refund calculators can help you get a bigger refund. Make sure to compare the different numbers these calculators offer, and work with the one that’s both the most accurate and has the biggest refund amount. That way, when you’re ready to file your tax return, you’ll know you’re relying on the service that can net you the best refund possible.

Try These Popular Tax Refund Calculators Today

When you’re ready to learn just how much you’ll be getting back from the government this year, you just need to find the free tax refund calculator that offers the best refund total online. And there’s nowhere better to turn than some of the most popular tax specialists and services.

Check out these top online tax refund calculators to estimate your refund for free – and they offer tax prep and other tax services as well.

TurboTax: Calculate your refund with TurboTax’s TaxCaster, an online tax return calculator. This free calculator promises accuracy with up-to-date tax law information and an interactive platform that determines both what you’ll owe and what you’ll get back in the form of a refund.

H&R Block: You can input your tax information in H&R Block’s effortless and free tax refund calculator online, estimating your refund total and balancing what you might owe with the latest information about tax policies and laws. H&R Block offers a close estimate to what a tax specialist or expert can help you calculate.

FreeTaxUSA: FreeTaxUSA provides a free tax refund calculator that’s backed by a 100 percent Calculation Accuracy Guarantee online. If there’s a calculation error, this tax prep service will help you pay any penalties or interest you owe as a result of a possible mistake.

Once you’ve calculated just what your refund could work out to be this year, you can also rely on these popular tax companies for help completing and filing your tax return. Each of these companies, as well as many others online, can help you ensure your tax return is free of mistakes that could cost you money and lower your refund. With their help, and the help of a free online tax refund calculator, you can easily avoid tax season woes.