Photo by Christopher Paquette via Flickr CC
Getting something for free is the ultimate bargain. That’s true for taxes, too, if you’re able to use a no-cost tax preparation and filing option.
Some of the millions of filers who’ve yet to submit their 2025 returns might be able to do just that.
Here’s a quick overview of current no-cost tax preparation and e-filing options available this year. Plus, there’s a look at a move to bring back the GOP-axed Direct File.
Free File: Topping the no-cost filing list is this partnership between the Internal Revenue Service and the Free File Alliance. This group of tax software companies makes a version of their commercial tax product available to eligible taxpayers.
Eight tax software manufacturers returned to Free File this year, the 24th that the no-cost program has been available. They are 1040Now, 1040.com (offered by Drake), ezTaxReturn.com, FileYourTaxes.com, FreeTaxUSA (offered by TaxHawk), OnLine Taxes (OLT), TaxAct, and TaxSlayer.
Free File generally is available to individuals, regardless of filing status, whose adjusted gross income is $89,000 or less. Each of the eight companies will help taxpayers complete and e-file their federal taxes.
But the participating software companies also can set up other parameters to determine who can use their product and exactly what filings they will cover.
Some Free File providers focus on filings by military personnel. This filing season, ezTaxReturn.com will provide a product for filers who are more comfortable doing their taxes in Spanish.
A handful of Free File companies also offer free state return preparation. If the one you choose doesn’t, check with your state tax office. Many states have their own no-cost online tax filing programs for their residents.
Yes, filing your state return directly with your state will mean you’ll have to do it all yourself, no transferring data from the federal online forms. But at least it’s free.
Even if your AGI is more than $89,000, you can use the Free File Fillable Forms option. Here, the IRS makes available the most common tax forms in an electronic format where, as the name indicates, you can enter your tax information on your computer. Then you can e-filed the self-filled forms.
But note, unlike the commercial software, the free fillable forms option does not provide any online instruction or guidance.
Finally, the only way to get to the official Free File software programs is by going to the special IRS.gov page or using the IRS’ app IRS2Go.
VITA and TCE: The second and third potential free tax filing options are older cousins of Free File. They are the IRS-sanctioned Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs.
Both VITA and TCE sites are staffed by IRS-trained volunteers who offer more personal, face-to-face tax prep and filing help to eligible taxpayers at little or no cost to eligible taxpayers.
VITA volunteers focus on taxpayers who make less than a specific amount. This filing season, that’s generally $69,000 or less this filing season. They also work with taxpayers who Persons with disabilities, and those who are not fluent English speakers.
TCE, as the program’s name indicates, focuses on the needs of older taxpayers, generally those age 60 and older. TCE volunteers are trained in tax situations and claims that apply to older individuals. That help can be particularly welcome this filing season, as individuals 65 or older might qualify for the new Senior Bonus.
VITA and TCE programs nationwide are sponsored by community groups and/or nonprofits, staffed by volunteers who must pass an IRS training program, and generally are located at community and neighborhood centers, libraries, schools, shopping malls, and other convenient public locations.
You can locate the VITA or TCE site nearest you by using the IRS’ online VITA and TCE Locator Tool or calling toll-free (800) 906-9887. Older filers also can check out the AARP Foundation’s Tax Aide online search tool. More TCE information is available by calling, again toll-free, (888) 227-7669.
MilTax: The fourth free tax prep and filing option is the online MilTax service. It was created for U.S. military service personnel and their families.
MilTax provides tax preparation, electronic filing, and support from tax consultants for both federal and state tax returns. As the name indicates, it is designed to meet military life tax needs, for example, offering guidance on deployments, combat and training pay, housing and rentals, and multi-state filings.
The tax no-cost, no-income-limit tax help is available to active, retired, or discharged duty service members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force, as well as to their immediate family members, e.g., spouses, children, and anyone who has legal responsibility for their children.
National Guard and reserve service members, regardless of their activation status, and their immediate families also are eligible. So are Coast Guard members who are activated as part of the Department of the Navy under Title 10 authority, as well as their family members.
Free (or lower-cost) commercial options: If you make too much for Free File and want the assistance offered by tax software, this fifth option might be for you. Check out potential free options at the manufacturers’ websites.
But where Free File programs cannot upsell you, the commercial sites can bombard you as much as they want, as long as the offers are clear and accurate, with ways to upgrade your filing at a cost.
Still, some taxpayers find the free options offered by the companies instead of Uncle Sam work for them. Just make sure you know what you’re getting, and possibly paying for.
Also, check with your professional memberships and other financial connections. Some groups offer their members no- or low-cost access to tax software. So do some banks and other financial services.
Again, you’ll likely get sales pitches here. But if that doesn’t concern you, definitely check them out.
Direct File is gone…: The Trump administration this year eliminated one free tax filing option. It axed IRS Direct File, the tax agency’s own version of commercial tax software that it created and operated for two filing seasons.
Some on Capitol Hill, however, are looking to return this as a sixth free tax filing option.
Direct File started as pilot program in 2024, under the Biden administration. Under that initial year of operation, 141,000 taxpayers across the 12 states where it was available used it and generally reported they were happy with the option.
The program expanded to 25 states for the 2025 filing season. It again received good reviews from users, as well as from the state tax departments (including some Republican-led states) that coordinated with Direct File on free state tax return filings.
But Republicans were against Direct File from the get-go. Once they got control of the House, Senate, and White House, the program’s days were numbered. Treasury solicited comments on the program, then officially eliminated it last November.
…but it might be back: Now, however, 160 Democrats in the House and Senate want to resurrect Direct File. The effort is led by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and California Rep. Brad Sherman, who introduced The Direct File Act of 2026.
In addition to directing the IRS to [re]establish and operate a free online tax preparation and filing program, the bill would —
- Prohibit the IRS from entering into agreements that restrict its ability to provide free online tax preparation or filing services.
- Direct the IRS to publish an annual report on use levels, patterns of usage, and ways to improve access to Direct File.
- Direct the IRS to enable seamless integration between state tax filing systems and Direct File, including through information sharing and a new grant program for states.
- Reduce tax fraud by getting third-party income information to the IRS earlier in the tax season, allowing the agency to verify this information before issuing refunds.
During its brief operation, noted the bill’s sponsoring lawmakers, Direct File saved taxpayers more than $5.5 million in tax preparation fees. Both the independent Government Accountability Office and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration supported Direct File.
One hundred fifteen unions, advocacy groups, and national organizations have endorsed The Direct File Act of 2026. So has former National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson.
“A free, direct e-filing tax return system is a fundamental taxpayer right,” said Olson, who now serves as Executive Director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, “Just as the government designs and printed paper tax forms for years, so should it design and maintain a user-friendly electronic filing option for individual taxpayers.”
As long as the GOP controls the White House, efforts to resurrect Direct File face long odds. But if Democrats take the House and possibly the Senate in the coming midterms, expect to hear more from supporters of the IRS created and operated free tax filing option.
