The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is expanding a program that lets people electronically file their taxes directly to the government for free instead of having to use a third party to do so. The IRS said Thursday that it is increasing access to its Direct File program to all 50 states in 2025, up from the 12 pilot states where taxpayers could use it for their taxes this year.
“The clear message is that many taxpayers across the nation want the IRS to provide more than one no-cost option for filing electronically,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
“So, starting with the 2025 filing season, the IRS will make Direct File a permanent option for filing federal tax returns,” the commissioner said. “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.”
In a report examining the pilot tax season usage of Direct File, the IRS said that more than 140,000 filers in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming successfully used the program to submit their returns. Additional states would have to choose to join Direct File before people living in them could use it.