Free Tax Filing

For those who don’t hire a pro to prepare their income tax returns, one of your best ways to handle this chore is an online app from one of the leading providers. Using a computer or mobile device (yes, you can do this on a smartphone), you respond to a series of interview questions that collect all the necessary information, prepare your returns, and submit them electronically. Many taxpayers are eligible to do this free of charge.

Free Filing from Tax Software Providers
The leading tax software providers offer free tax return preparation and filing two ways: through the IRS Free File portal, with one set of restrictions, and directly through their own websites, under entirely different rules. Here’s our guide to what’s available.

IRS Free File
Learn more about the IRS’s quirky, frustrating, but potentially useful Free File program.

Free Fillable Forms
The IRS also provides access to a bare bones software offering called Free Fillable Forms. Don’t waste your time trying to use it.