Posted on 08/01/2025 10:44:27 AM PDT by JSM_Liberty
Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Bill Long said the agency will end its Direct File program after a limited pilot and one full filing season.
President Donald Trump’s massive spending and policy bill includes funding to research and “replace any direct e-file programs run by the Internal Revenue Service.” Already, the program is “gone,” Long said at a tax professional summit on July 28, Bloomberg Law reports.
“You’ve heard of Direct File, that’s gone,” Long said. “Big beautiful Billy wiped that out. I don’t care about Direct File. I care about direct audit.”
The agency has not confirmed the future of the program.
“Commissioner Billy Long is committed to modernizing the IRS and providing a taxpayer experience that meets today’s expectations, which includes giving taxpayers transparency into the status of their tax returns and audits,” an IRS spokesperson told CNBC Make It in an emailed statement.
“We look forward to Treasury’s forthcoming report to Congress on the Direct File program and on potential public-private partnership alternatives to Direct File, as required by the One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The Direct File program allowed taxpayers in certain states with simple tax situations to file their taxes for free directly through the IRS. The agency piloted the program in 12 states in 2024 and expanded to an additional 13 states in 2025. An estimated 30 million Americans were eligible to use the filing option in 2025, according to the Treasury Department.
Some Republicans have called the program wasteful and an overreach of the federal government. The Trump administration was already planning to end the Direct File program prior to the policy megabill, the Associated Press reported in April.
Nearly 300,000 filers used Direct File for the 2025 tax season, and 94% of users who completed an IRS survey rated their experience as “excellent” or “above average,” according to an internal IRS report obtained by Nextgov/FCW.
Taxpayers who received an extension and as a result haven’t yet filed their 2024 taxes are still be able to access Direct File to get their returns in by the Oct. 15 deadline, the IRS confirmed. You can still file for free
Even if Direct File is eliminated by next year’s tax season, taxpayers may have options to file their taxes for free.
The IRS has another free filing program where the agency partners with third-party tax preparation software companies to provide services to taxpayers, although there are varying eligibility requirements, including adjusted gross income and state of residence. You can use the IRS’ questionnaire tool to find an applicable partner.
Additionally, the IRS sponsors the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which helps taxpayers earning less than $67,000 a year for 2025, who have a disability or who speak limited English get in-person tax preparation assistance for free.
You can also DIY your taxes by accessing the IRS’ free fillable forms and submitting them directly to the agency.
So just pay TurboTax to do it, cheap, faster and more accurate.
Does anyone think the IRS can actually create a safe, effective system. If so, you are delusional.
A Direct Audit of the BiXiden Crime Fam would seem to be in order.
“Does anyone think the IRS can actually create a safe, effective system. If so, you are delusional.”
I’m guessing a lot of lower income filers will be very annoyed by this.
There are multiple online free options.
Nah. Several private companies replicated the same free filing parameters. Turbotax, H&R Block, Taxslayer etc.
“Nearly 300,000 filers used Direct File for the 2025 tax season, and 94% of users who completed an IRS survey rated their experience as “excellent” or “above average,” according to an internal IRS report obtained by Nextgov/FCW.”
Well, we certainly can’t have that.
DirectFile was the lazy-ass bureaucrat’s way of getting your returns into computerized format to be stored and retrieved or stored and sold at a later date...............
A lot of lower income filers think April 15 is a big payday because of the EITC.
They can already file for free using commercial products. Why would they need a buggy IRS system?
I still mail mine in. Especially since I rarely get a refund.
now if he will end filing for the rest of us, too
(and withholding, which was supposed to be just a temporary acceleration of revenue collections to help prime the pump for WW2)
MMusson wrote: “So just pay TurboTax to do it, cheap, faster and more accurate.”
Turbo Tax has a free option as well.
CPAs and accountants rejoice everywhere! business will boom next April when 30 million more people are forces to file on their own or use the services of the above mentioned beneficiaries.
I’ve been sending in my return by mail for some years now. The free commercial site I was using had me fill out forms that weren’t required. I thought I would try the IRS Direct File site this year. I created an account and had to upload an ID for identity verification. That failed, so it was back to snail mail this year.
I have a local CPA that does my taxes, and has since 2004/2005.
Never been audited (yet - I’m sure under Biden I was on a list), and other than the year my wife claimed 9 dependents (taking 0 taxes out of paycheck), I’ve gotten a modest amount back.
“I’m guessing a lot of lower income filers will be very annoyed by this.”
It is annoying to see baseless comments by ignorant people that do not bother to read the OP ...
“It is annoying to see ... “
It’s even more annoying to see miserable people who like to scold as if this were some sort of high level academic site. I may not have had enough information, that can be easily corrected. Your issues are not so easily corrected.
Lemme guess, Palantir has a new way for us?
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