After what it termed a “Successful Pilot Program” – the Internal Revenue Service is expanding its program that lets people file taxes directly to the government for FREE to all 50 states.
Direct File was first introduced last year in 12 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, also in South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. It was used by 140,803 filers. It will become permanent for tax filers – in 2025 – and expanded for more taxpayers in the coming years.
The IRS said that it’ll work with all of the states that want to partner with Direct File – AND it will also be expanded to include a greater number of tax situations so that more people can participate. The new program will not replace IRS Free File that includes commercial partners – offering FREE tax filing commercial software for people below certain income thresholds.
IRS surveys show that 90% of users ranked their experience as Excellent or above with most citing the program’s ease of use, its trustworthiness, and also that it was FREE of charge.