Caren Weiner is the lead editor for consumer finance at Forbes Advisor. During her decades as a personal finance journalist, she has covered mutual funds, taxes, banking and health insurance ...

The IRS shut down its direct filing program for 2026, but Free File, Fillable Forms, MilTax, and some private tools remain—if you know where to look. Here’s how to navigate the free options still ...

Direct File — the short-lived, free IRS tax-filing tool — is officially over, shut down less than two years after launch amid shifting priorities in Washington. During its brief run, Direct File gave ...

The agency still offers a Free File program that works with commercial tax software firms. Some companies also offer free tools for certain filers. By Ann Carrns The federal government tested a free, ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — As income tax filing season officially starts on Monday, a limited number of taxpayers in 12 states will soon be eligible to join an IRS pilot program that will allow them to ...

If you’re a California resident and haven’t done your federal tax return for 2023, you now have another, more user-friendly option online: the free Direct File service from the IRS. It’s not for ...

The IRS free tax filing program, known as Direct File, has faced heavy Republican scrutiny since its 2024 launch. Direct File expanded to more than 30 million taxpayers across 25 states for the 2025 ...

The IRS has extended the Free File program through 2029, continuing its partnership with a coalition of private tax software companies. IRS Free File remains open for 2023 returns through the Oct. 15 ...

In a win for the paid tax prep industry, it looks like the government's free tax filing program, Direct File, is dead for now. The IRS emailed state tax agencies to notify them that "IRS Direct File ...

The federal government tested a free, direct online tax-filing program for two years but with the change in administrations shut it down. There are still ways, though, to file your return at no charge ...