IRS Free File: how to find and use free guided e-filing

A presenter said taxpayers whose income is below a certain threshold can prepare and file their federal tax return electronically for free using guided tax software through the Internal Revenue Service's Free File program. "You can prepare and file your federal tax return electronically for free using guided tax software if your income is below a certain amount," the presenter said.

The presenter directed listeners to start at the agency's Free File pages: "Go to irs.gov forward slash free file to see if you qualify to use IRS Free File," they said. The presenter described two ways to find eligible software: use the "find your trusted partner" tool, which asks a few questions to match users to qualified software, or use the "browse all trusted partners" tool to review the full list of IRS Free File partners.

The presenter said users can apply a filter on the partner list to narrow options and noted that "some of the partners will also provide the option to file your state tax return for free." They added that after selecting a partner on the Free File page, "you'll be redirected to the software partner's website" and cautioned: "Remember, you must create an account at the partner's website only after you access it from irs.gov." The briefing closed with a reminder: "To get started, visit irs.gov/freefile."

The transcript repeatedly referenced the Internal Revenue Service's Free File resources and the URL irs.gov/freefile. The briefing did not specify the exact income cap for Free File eligibility; that threshold is not specified in the transcript and should be checked on the IRS Free File page itself.