The Direct File program was built by the IRS to allow people with relatively simple returns to file them online without using ...

Paying taxes is hard enough — but paying a fee to pay your taxes just adds insult to injury. The good news is that millions of taxpayers can file their federal returns — and even their state returns — ...

Over two dozen states incorporated the free tax software in 2025, but the IRS has decided to discontinue the program. Peter is a writer and editor for the CNET How-To team. He has been covering ...

Free File is not Direct File, which the IRS has discontinued for the 2026 tax season. This tax season, according to the IRS, eight private-sector partners are offering guided tax software products ...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Taxpayers can get a head start on preparing their 2025 federal tax returns as the IRS Free File program is now available ahead of the official start of the tax ...

Free File is a program that allows the majority of taxpayers to file their federal income tax returns for free through participating software companies. But the service remains woefully underused.

The IRS is suspending the Direct File program, a free guided tax software for taxpayers in 25 states, for the upcoming filing season. Other free federal tax preparation programs will still be ...

It costs Americans an average of about $290 to file a tax return, according to the National Taxpayers Union. Thankfully, most major tax software companies offer a free tier, so you don't have to pay ...

Free Federal Tax Filing — and Free State Filing in Many Cases — Available ahead of the official opening of the tax filing season at IRS.gov/FreeFile WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Taxpayers ...