IRS offers free way to file for Tennesseans as tax season begins

JACKSON, Tenn. — This tax season, the IRS is providing free tax filing to millions of Americans.

IRS Direct File is a tool that offers taxpayers a secure way to file their taxes for free. After only being available in 12 states, the Treasury Department expanded Direct File to service half of the United States.

They also introduced advanced new functionality to pre-populate taxpayers’ data. Meaning the site will fill in your data instead of you having to manually type it in.

“Look, no one loves having to prepare your taxes, but at least you shouldn’t have to pay to get it done. So if you have a local accountant you like or a commercial tax prep software, you can still use that, but if you’d like to be able to file for free from your phone or computer, usually in less than an hour with no hidden fees or upselling, now you can with IRS Direct File,” said Adam Ruben, vice president for the Economic Security Project.

Last year, over 140,000 tax filers in 12 states used IRS Direct File. Research shows that when the program is made fully available in all 50 states, it could save taxpayers 11 billion annually in cost and time savings.

“Direct File is for people with simple tax filing situations across 25 states, including Tennessee. So, that means people who are employees, who get a W-2 from their employer. Direct File’s not yet available for freelancers, or gig workers, or people with complicated investments, or who work across multiple states. So that’s about 32 million people across the country who are eligible,” said Ruben.

If you’re eligible, all you need is your W-2 form. The program will guide you through a simple set of questions to help fill in the information on your tax return. If you get stuck or have a question, there’s also free live chat support.

“It’s gonna save people a lot of time and money. The average taxpayer spends $160 dollars and 9 hours filing their taxes. And most people would rather use that money to pay their bills than pay Turbo Tax. Direct File’s always free. There’s no middle man trying to upsell you or sell your data,” said Ruben.

This program helps Americans easily access the tax credits they qualify for and deserve. For more information, click here.

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