The Internal Revenue Service’s Free File Guided Tax Preparation service is live and ready for taxpayers to use. Free File went live Jan. 13, 2023, 10 days prior to the 2023 filing season start date. The IRS started accepting individual tax returns on Jan. 23.
IRS Free File marks its 21st filing season this year and is one of many free options available to taxpayers for filing their taxes either online or in person. IRS Free File is offered via a public-private partnership between the IRS and the Free File Inc., formerly the Free File Alliance. Through this partnership, leading tax software providers make their online products available in both English and Spanish for free.
Seven partners will provide IRS Free File online products this year to any taxpayer or family who earned $73,000 or less in 2022.
Because the filing season does not start until Jan. 23, IRS Free File providers will accept completed tax returns and hold them until they can be filed electronically on that date.
Those who make over $73,000 can use the IRS’s Free File Fillable Forms (FFFF), the electronic version of IRS paper forms beginning Jan. 23. This product is best for people comfortable preparing their own taxes.
How IRS Free File online works
Each IRS Free File provider sets its own eligibility rules for products based on age, income and state residency.
Taxpayers that made $73,000 or less in 2022 will likely find a product that matches their needs. Some providers also offer free state return preparation. Active-duty military can use any IRS Free File products if their adjusted gross income was $73,000 in 2022 or less.
To find the right IRS Free File product taxpayers can:
- Go to IRS.gov/FreeFile,
- Click on Free Guided Tax Preparation. Then select IRS Free File Online Lookup Tool for help in finding the right product, or
- Use the Browse All Offers tool to review each offer,
- Select the best product for them, and
- Follow the links to the provider’s website to begin their tax return.
No computer? No problem. IRS Free File products support mobile phone access. Taxpayers can do their taxes on their smart phone or tablet.
IRS Free File participants
For 2023, the following providers are participating in IRS Free File:
- 1040Now
- ezTaxReturn.com
- FileYourTaxes.com
- On-Line Taxes
- TaxAct
- FreeTaxUSA
- TaxSlayer
For 2023, ezTaxReturn.com will provide an IRS Free File product in Spanish.