The average American who hires a tax preparer to file even a simple return will spend upward of $200, according to industry estimates. This year, however, taxpayers have more options than ever to ...

The IRS Direct File program is no longer available. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Economic Security Project) We knew that it was coming, but now we know for sure: Direct File, the free ...

The Internal Revenue Service has shut down its Direct File free tax-filing program, sending an email to the 25 states that offered it this year. The email was sent to the state departments of revenue ...

The Direct File program was one of the targets of the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency, under the leadership of billionaire Elon Musk, as soon as the group took over ...

Over two dozen states incorporated the free tax software in 2025, but the IRS has decided to discontinue the program. Peter is a writer and editor for the CNET How-To team. He has been covering ...

Free File is not Direct File, which the IRS has discontinued for the 2026 tax season. This tax season, according to the IRS, eight private-sector partners are offering guided tax software products ...