The Trump administration may have shuttered Direct File — the IRS’s short-lived experiment in tax-preparation software — but it doesn’t mean you have to pay to file your taxes.
There are plenty of options for free filing this tax season, which begins today and runs through April 15. Here’s what you should know if:
You earn less than $89,000 a year
Taxpayers can avail themselves of in-person or online tax prep assistance or use free versions of commercial software from such brands as TaxAct and TaxSlayer. They must earn no more than $89,000 a year — a threshold that covers more than half of all U.S. households — to access:
- Volunteer Income Tax Assistance: The IRS endorses programs where volunteers — who take classes on tax law and must pass an annual IRS test — prepare tax returns for free, usually at a public library or a similar community spot. Look up a program near you here. Annual household income generally must fall below $67,000 to qualify. Some VITA programs specialize in helping people who don’t speak English.
- Get Your Refund: If you earned less than $69,000, you can submit details about your taxes online to GetYourRefund.org, a government-supported website. The information will be sent to certified VITA volunteers, who will fill out your return. It also offers a free, do-it-yourself tax-filing program for people earning as much as $89,000.
- Free File: Several private companies have a deal with the IRS to make their tax prep software available free to people who earn as much as $89,000 in adjusted gross income. However, it has never been popular and is not always easy to use. You will need to check which software is available to you based on your specific circumstances. Read the instructions carefully; sometimes the software will prompt you to switch to a paid version. However, in most cases, you can opt out and file your taxes free. And note that some software options will do only federal returns, not state ones. So keep an eye out for that when you begin.
You’re a senior or serve in the military
- AARP: Trained AARP volunteers will fill out tax returns for anyone at no cost at hundreds of locations nationwide. The service focuses on “taxpayers who are over 50 or have low to moderate income.” They also can answer your questions or coach you through filling out your own tax return.
- MilTax: Many options described above, including VITA and Free File, offer help for members of the military. The military has its own program, MilTax, which service members can use for free to file their returns and connect with experts.
You want a different option
If none of the aforementioned options work, you can still file your taxes free. The money-transferring app Cash App has a tax filing program available to its users for free, for instance.
And for a truly no-strings-attached method, you can fill out your tax forms and submit them yourself.
If you want to file on paper, you can download the forms from IRS.gov and print them out, or pick them up at your local library. Fill them out by hand and mail the forms to the IRS. You’ll probably wait longer for your refund if you do this.
Better yet, you can fill out your return online by setting up an account on the IRS’s Free File Fillable Forms website. (This alliterative site, confusingly, is different from the IRS Free File option discussed above.) There’s no fee. The website does a little bit of math for you, but the experience is different from software such as TurboTax, which walks you through the process. You’ll need to go down Form 1040 line by line, making sure you report your income in all the right boxes.
You made a mistake
This might be the most common fear among those who want to do taxes on their own.
If you realize after you file that you made a mistake, it’s fairly simple to file an amended return that explains the error to the IRS. If you don’t catch the error yourself, there’s some chance that the IRS or your state tax office will catch it for you. You won’t be in trouble. You’ll simply need to pay what you owe if you underpaid, possibly with interest. (Keep in mind that mistakes are different from purposely evading taxes or lying on your return.)
Also, paid preparers and tax prep software are hardly immune from errors. Back in 2014, the Government Accountability Office once sent undercover investigators pretending to be clients to 19 paid tax preparers and found that they made a long list of errors. Only two of the 19 correctly calculated the client’s refund.
If you do choose to use software, make sure to review every line of the completed form to make sure that the numbers the software plugged in actually make sense.
You want to figure it out for yourself
Every IRS form comes with instructions, and you’ll want to review them for each form you fill out. If you want to ask an IRS employee for help, you can go to an IRS office in person or call 1-800-829-1040. It may be harder to get an answer this year though: The Trump administration has cut funding, and more than a quarter of the agency’s staff have left in the past year. IRS employees and experts say it could be a bumpy tax season when it comes to customer service.
Some programs, such as the VITA and AARP, might be able to answer a few questions even if you’re filling out your return on your own. You can also look up taxpayer assistance clinics near you — many law schools and nonprofits host free services.
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