A group of House Republicans is asking President-elect Donald Trump to end the IRS’s Direct File program – which allows taxpayers to file their taxes for free directly with the agency – on day one of his new administration.
In a Dec. 10 letter sent to President-elect Trump, Reps. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., and Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., along with 27 House Republican colleagues, called the program “unauthorized and wasteful.”
“The program’s creation and ongoing expansion pose a threat to taxpayers’ freedom from government overreach, and its rollout and structural flaws have already come at a steep price,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Under the guise of offering a convenient ‘free-to-file’ alternative preparation service, the IRS asserts itself as the tax assessor, collector, preparer, and enforcer – all in one – when the program is used,” they added.
The IRS successfully piloted its Direct File tool during the 2024 tax season, allowing more than 140,000 taxpayers across 12 states to file their tax returns with the agency electronically. The IRS made the program permanent on May 30.
In October, the IRS announced that the Direct File tool will be available in 12 additional states for the 2025 tax season, making the free e-filing service available in a total of 24 states.
During the pilot, Direct File was available in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington State, and Wyoming. For the 2025 tax filing season, Direct File will also be available in Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Direct File is a web-based service that works on mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and desktop computers. It guides taxpayers through a series of questions to prepare their Federal tax return step-by-step. Once taxpayers have completed their Federal tax return, the Direct File system automatically guides them to state tools to complete their state tax filings.
House lawmakers have previously attempted to cancel Direct File through bills that would block funding for the program. In June, Republican appropriators said that “Congress has not authorized” the tax preparation tool.
Reps. Smith and Edwards also introduced legislation in July to terminate Direct File, which they called “unnecessary and a waste of tax dollars.”
Nevertheless, IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said that the program simply adds to the menu of options Americans can choose from when filing their taxes.
“The clear message is that many taxpayers across the nation want the IRS to provide more than one no-cost option for filing electronically,” Werfel said in May when making the program permanent.
“Giving taxpayers additional options strengthens the tax filing system. And adding Direct File to the menu of filing options fits squarely into our effort to make taxes as easy as possible for Americans, including saving time and money,” he said.
Trump has suggested that he will replace Werfel before his term ends in 2027, announcing last week his plans to nominate former Rep. Billy Long, R-Mo., as IRS commissioner.
