The IRS Direct File program is no longer available. (Photo by Tassos Katopodis/Getty Images for Economic Security Project)
Getty Images for Economic Security Project
We knew it was coming, but now we know for sure: Direct File, the free online tax filing option offered by the Internal Revenue Service, has been scrapped by the Trump administration.
This week, reports began circulating that the IRS had notified states via email that Direct File will not be available next filing season. One of the participating states confirmed the existence of the email to Forbes.
The IRS did not respond to a request for comment and has not officially shared the news with taxpayers. However, former Direct File users could be in for a shock when they visit the IRS website.
IRS.gov screenshot dated November 5, 2025.
Kelly Phillips Erb
If you click on the part of the site that used to be the home of Direct File. a message simply states, “Direct File is closed. More information will be available later.”
Specifically, former Direct File users cannot log in to retrieve information from the site. A notice on the IRS website says anyone who needs a copy should log in to IRS online accounts.
The IRS also advises: “If you used Direct File to file your return, you can retrieve a copy by filing Form 4506, Request for Copy of Tax Return…If you used a different tool to file your tax return, learn how to access your tax records.“
The Direct File program
The controversial Direct File program allowed eligible taxpayers to file taxes directly with the IRS online for free. The word “controversial” is a nod to the fact that while the IRS touts the program as beneficial to taxpayers and says initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, some Republicans in Congress have not been happy with the program.
As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress directed the IRS to deliver a report on, among other things, the cost of developing and operating a free direct electronic file tax filing system. The report was to include the cost of creating and managing each version, with an emphasis on features that are multilingual and mobile-friendly and safeguards for taxpayer data. The IRS released the report to Congress in May 2023.
According to the report, most taxpayers surveyed by the agency were interested in using a tool provided by the IRS to prepare and file their taxes. At the time, the IRS said it hoped to make it a reality for some taxpayers for the 2024 tax filing season.
When the tax filing season opened in January 2024, the IRS announced a limited pilot of Direct File, which it claimed would allow the IRS to assess the costs, benefits and operational challenges associated with providing taxpayers with the option. The pilot, the IRS claimed, was a success. The IRS said Direct File users reported a high degree of satisfaction and quick responses to filing questions.
In a GSA Touchpoints survey of more than 11,000 Direct File users, 90% of respondents rated their experience with Direct File as “Excellent” or “Above Average.” Most respondents who filed taxes last year reported that they had to pay to prepare their taxes last year. Among survey respondents, 47% of users paid to file their taxes last year and 16% did not file at all last year. When asked what they particularly liked, respondents most commonly cited Direct File’s ease of use, reliability, and that it was free. According to the IRS, taxpayers filed — for free — to receive more than $90 million in refunds and saved about $5.6 million in filing costs.
(You can read what some taxpayers had to say to Forbes about their experiences here.)
After the first year, the Treasury Department said Direct File would be a permanent, free tax filing option. The IRS also expanded the program in 2025 to include more states and the ability to handle a wider range of income, credits and deductions.
Direct file during the 2025 tax filing season
The free tax software program had been called safe for the 2025 season, with Treasury Secretary and IRS Deputy Commissioner Scott Bessent committing to the program during his confirmation hearing. “I will pledge that for this tax season … Direct File will work,” Bessent said.
However, less than 48 hours after the regular tax filing period ended, reports surfaced that the program would be scrapped.
This was confirmed in May when the House version of what is now the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA) included a provision to eliminate IRS Direct File. The original language required the Treasury Department to ensure that the IRS Direct File program is “terminated” no later than 30 days after the bill’s enactment. This piece did not survive.
However, the final version of OBBBA includes a provision that creates a task force to report on “the cost of enhancing and establishing public-private partnerships that provide free tax filing to up to 70 percent of all adjusted gross income taxpayers and to replace any direct electronic file programs operated by the Internal Revenue Service.” The task force is also tasked with taking the pulse of the public on “opinions and preferences about a taxpayer-funded, government-run service or a free service provided by the private sector.” The amount of money earmarked is $15,000,000.
If you’re feeling a little deja vu, you’re not wrong. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2021 — the law that led to the creation of Direct File — also established a task force to design a direct file tax return system. The cost? Also $15,000,000.
The writing was on the wall
The change in the OBBBA language—not to eliminate the program entirely—gave some taxpayers hope that the program was merely tweaked. But the writing has been on the wall for some time now.
In addition to the language in the OBBBA draft, former IRS Commissioner Billy Long had stated that the program’s days were numbered. “You’ve heard of Direct File,” Long told the National Association of Enrolled Agents. “That’s gone. Big handsome Billy put it out. I don’t care about Direct File. I care about Direct Control.”
(A month later, big handsome Billy was gone too.)
What about the free file?
Despite the IRS axing Direct File, the Free File program remains in effect. Free File is a program offered as part of a public-private partnership between the IRS and Free File Inc., formerly the Free File Alliance. Through this partnership, tax preparation and filing software providers make their electronic products available to eligible taxpayers.
Free File debuted in 2003, but not without controversy. It was developed to provide free e-filing services to most taxpayers, with the goal of helping the IRS meet the 80% e-filing goal established by the Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998.
At the time, many questioned why the federal government partnered with the private tax preparation industry instead of creating its own software. In 2002, Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill made it clear to then-IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti that the agency should work with the private sector. As a result, the government entered into a memorandum of understanding committing not to enter the market for software services and electronic filing of tax returns.
You’d think taxpayers would flock to e-file for free. The market for electronic records has indeed exploded, but not necessarily for free services, leading to allegations that some providers are steering taxpayers to paid services. In 2019—the last year the Free File agreement was signed—up to 100 million taxpayers, or 70% of filers, were eligible to use Free File. Actual usage was closer to 3%
In 2016, then-Forbes employee Sam Sharf wrote an account of how, despite qualifying for free filing, it cost her $118.64 to file her 2014 tax return with TurboTax. A few years later, ProPublica wrote a series of articles focusing on the lengths to which tax software companies have gone — such as extensive lobbying and hiding free options — to get taxpayers to pay for services. In April 2019, ProPublica noted, “Intuit has changed the code on its Free File page so that the truly free version of TurboTax is no longer hidden from Google and other search engines.” H&R Block has also been accused of deliberately steering taxpayers away from free products.
The allegations caused quite a stir – and led to lawsuits.
Today, tax preparation software companies are prohibited from hiding free filing services from Google or other search results pages. Additionally, if you are unable to submit a free file after visiting a company’s Free File site, you should be able to return to the Free File site to find another offer. Each IRS Free File company must provide information when you don’t qualify, with a link to the IRS.gov Free File website.
Following the changes, two traditional Free File participants, Intuit and H&R Block, withdrew from the program. Eight private sector Free File partners provided online guided tax software products in 2025: 1040.com, 1040Now, EzTaxReturn, FileYourTaxes.com, FreeTaxUSA, OnLine Taxes, TaxAct and TaxSlayer.
Last gasp from Congress
Not everyone was ready to give up on Direct File. This year, U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio) introduced legislation not only to save, but also to expand the Direct File program. The legislation, called the “Get Your Money Back Act,” would fully reinstate the Direct File program while requiring states to participate in the service.
Sykes formally introduced the legislation on June 30, 2025. It has since been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. No additional action has been taken to date.
Answers to the News
After news that the program had been killed, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued a statement, writing: “The Trump administration is operating like a laser-guided weapon targeting any useful public service that saves Americans time and money. The only thing Trump is accomplishing with this is stealing from the working class to tax paying taxpayers. companies.”
