The IRS has announced the extension of its current Free File program through 2029 under an agreement with Free File, Inc. – a partnership between the agency and several tax preparation software firms – that provides free access to tax prep and online filing software.
“Free File remains an important part of the IRS portfolio to help taxpayers file their taxes for free,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel.
“We were pleased to see growth in the program this year, and we look forward to continuing this important collaboration with the tax software industry. Free File was part of a successful filing season at the IRS that saw increased interest in a range of free programs to help taxpayers,” Werfel said.
For the 2024 Federal tax filing season, Free File saw a 7.3% year-over-year increase in tax returns filed through the program, to a total of 2.9 million returns.
Private sector companies partnering with the IRS on Free File for the 2024 filing season included: 1040Now, Drake (1040.com), ezTaxReturn.com, FileYourTaxes.com, On-Line Taxes, TaxAct, TaxHawk (FreeTaxUSA), and TaxSlayer.
“Free File has been an important partner with the IRS for more than two decades and helped tens of millions of taxpayers. This extension will continue that relationship into the future,” said Ken Corbin, chief of IRS Taxpayer Services. “This multi-year agreement will also provide certainty for private-sector partners to help with their future Free File planning.”
