No IRS Direct File in your state? No problem: These are other free options to help you file tax returns

Many Americans have already filed their returns for the 2024 tax year but there’s still plenty more who are yet to submit their taxes.

Those yet to pay may have been alarmed to see Elon Musk claim earlier this week that he had “deleted” 18F, the government agency in charge of the IRS' Direct File program. Musk’s boast was incorrect and the agency remains, as does the Direct File system used by millions of Americans every year.

But while the IRS has opened the free online tax return filing system up to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, only 25 of them have enlisted. Those states are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

For those not covered by Direct File, there is another free option to help file your tax returns...

Am I eligible for Free File?

Direct File was released last year and proved a big success but there is another system that has been in place much longer. The IRS' Free File is open to about 70% of taxpayers in the United States and offers tax filing assistance for free.

Filers with an adjusted gross income of $84,000 or less qualify for the program which is essentially another route to paid-for programs like TurboTax and H&R Block. Simply head offer to the IRS Free File website and click on ‘Explore Free Guided Tax Software’. Only around 4% of taxpayers actually take advantage of Free File, according to a 2022 Government Accountability Office report.

If you fit the eligibility criteria you will be directed to an IRS partner tax company who will arrange the tax preparation and filing free of charge. There are also Spanish language options.

For those who don’t satisfy the eligibility criteria for Free File, there are still free resources on the IRS website that will take the pain out of filing. Use the Fillable Forms page to help organise your documents and get everything ready for filing.

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