The official IRS site is located at IRS.gov. Through the official IRS site U.S. taxpayers can enjoy free tax filing. The official IRS site includes links to sites which offer free online tax preparation software, free income tax filing, and free printing of your completed federal tax forms. There are different eligibility requirements for the different tax filing services.
Free Tax Filing through Official IRS Site
Free File from the IRS is now open. Taxpayers can file their federal income taxes for free online, when they use one of the tax companies that has partnered with the IRS. The Free File program from the IRS includes free online tax preparation as well as free e-filing. In order to file for free, you need to access these sites through the official IRS site.
Yes, if your “adjusted gross income was $54,000 or less in 2007.”
How Do I Get My Refund?
With the the free file through the official IRS site they claim your refund will come “in as little as 10 days with direct deposit.”
Is the Service Available in Spanish?
Yes, there is a Spanish version on the official IRS site.
I Made More than $54,000 Do I Get Any Free IRS Service?
Taxpayers who made more than $54,000 can still use the official IRS site to find an inexpensive online tax preparation service. For more information, go to the official IRS site.
How Do I Get Started?
Go to the official IRS site.
At the top of the page find Use Free File to Prepare Your Taxes. Click on it.
The next page describes the service and the eligibility rules.
When you are ready to proceed, click on Start. Don’t worry, this doesn’t actually start a tax form, it simply brings you to a list of free online tax preparation services.
From here the taxpayer has two options (Image 2):
1. Browse the list of companies providing the free service. If you are familiar with a specific service, click on that one to file your federal income tax for free. Read the instructions, enter the information and be aware of any “extra” fees that may crop up in the process.
2. Use “Guide Me to a Company” to find the best free service for your needs.
Before you use the “Guide Me to a Company” check your state’s revenue or tax page to find out if and how to qualify for free tax filing. For example, if I try to file both my federal and state taxes for the state of Massachusetts through the IRS site, TurboTax does not come up as a free option for my state.
This means I will have to go through this site to file my federal taxes and go through my state’s page to file my state taxes for free. This takes a bit of extra work, but it may also keep you from having to pay to file your federal income tax and your state income tax.
Tips:
Once you select a service, you will be warned that you will be leaving the official IRS site to go the tax preparation and e-file web site. Follow the instructions, fill in the information, double check it, print it out for your records and e-file it.
