U.S. taxpayers preparing to file returns for 2025 — deadline April 15, 2026 — have one fewer free option this year.

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

Americans spend an average of $290 to prepare and file their taxes, according to the National Taxpayers Union, with the cost of working with a CPA ranging from $500 to $1,200. There are free filing ...

For 2026, eight private-sector partners are offering guided tax software products through IRS Free File to taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $89,000 or less in 2025. IRS Free File helps ...

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 ...

A venerable IRS program called Free File allows 70% of taxpayers to file their taxes for free, just as the name implies. Only 2% of taxpayers used the service in 2024. That is the finding of a ...

The best tax software will let you file a federal income tax extension to give yourself six more months to finish your taxes.

A wildly popular IRS pilot let hundreds of thousands file taxes for free. After two decades and $103 million in lobbying, H&R ...

About 1 in 4 Americans are using AI chatbots to prepare their tax returns, but experts warn the tools can produce outdated or inaccurate guidance.