Apr 13, 2023
It’s that time of year again. Filing taxes has long bedeviled Americans with complicated forms and pricey fees — but this upcoming romance game claims to clear it all up and spice up the process to boot.
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Players get to find love with Iris, “a cheerful and easygoing girl with a disconcerting affinity for your personal finance information,” as they play Tax Heaven 3000 (TH3K), an anime-style visual novel game that purportedly prepares your federal tax return for free.
Here’s the lowdown on the dating simulator that wants to gamify your taxes — and whether it could actually hold up compared to your traditional tax software.
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How TH3K works
TH3K says it helps you prepare your form at no extra cost, arguing that corporate tax filing services “deliberately complicate the tax filing process in order to make it unnavigable by ordinary people.”
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At the same time, TH3K can only prepare your 1040 — the individual income tax return — and says it's suitable for singles with simple W-2 income and no dependents.
On top of not being a perfect resource for families or those with complicated income situations, it also may not check for all the possible deductions and credits you qualify for, and doesn’t support amended or late tax returns or help you with your state taxes.
The game generates a PDF document for you to print, and makes it clear that it’s ultimately your responsibility to input the correct information and mail a paper return to the IRS once it’s complete. This comes with its own hassles, as the IRS is contending with a hefty paper backlog that could mean delays in when you receive your refund.
So while the game appears to make tax filing more entertaining, it doesn’t tick all the boxes your standard tax preparation software typically covers.
Is the game legit?
While Moneywise hasn’t tested the game, you can watch a playthrough video to get a sense of how it works. Initial reviews online appreciated the unique storytelling approach to tax preparation, but because the game can't connect to the internet, pointed out it's not the ideal solution if you're hoping to get your refund quickly. And some online gaming communities have raised safety concerns over handing your SSN to a dating simulator.
However, the game’s creators aren’t total unknowns — in fact, chances are good you’ve heard of them (or at least their work) before. Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF is known for cheeky drops and anticapitalism creations like their Eat the Rich popsicles — featuring Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk’s likenesses for just $10 apiece.
After courting controversy, TH3K was quietly removed from the popular online game storefront Steam sometime on March 22 for unknown reasons.
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MSCHF co-founder Daniel Greenberg told The Verge that the game went through Steam’s “standard verification process” and was scheduled to launch on April 4, but “out of nowhere it was de-verified and removed from the platform without explanation.”
After much back-and-forth, the game was released at the end of March. It's availalbe on either the online marketplace itch.io or as a free direct download from Tax Heaven 3000's website.
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Other (romance-free) options for tax filing
If you're hesitant to hand over your personal details to an anime character or don’t qualify as a single with TH3K or would prefer to e-file — you have other options to get your taxes submitted by the April 18 deadline.
The IRS offers a Free File program for Americans who earn $73,000 or less. Just hop over to the tax agency’s website and it’ll direct you to popular providers that won’t charge you for preparing and filing your federal income tax return.
That said, keep in mind that some of these providers may still include fees for state tax preparation, so you’ll want to review each offer before choosing the platform that works best for you.
Some tax software may also offer free packages if your finances are pretty straightforward and you’re just filing a simple return. However, you’ll often need to upgrade to an additional paid tier if you want to itemize deductions or report non-traditional sources of income, like from your investments or side hustle.
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Serah Louis is a reporter with Moneywise.com. She enjoys tackling topical personal finance issues for young people and women and covering the latest in financial news.
