File Your Tax Return for Free: What to Know About the IRS Free File Program and Its Limitations

The 2025 tax filing season has been underway for over 5 weeks. If you’re looking to get your taxes done as we approach the April 15 deadline, consider using this easy resource that enables millions of Americans to file federal tax returns for free in just a few steps.

Free File is a partnership between the IRS and eight of the country’s biggest online tax-prep companies. If your adjusted gross income was $84,000 or less in 2024, you’re eligible to use Free File to process and submit a simple return for free. Some participating companies will even process your state return.

In 2024, approximately a million Americans took advantage of the program, ensuring their taxes were completed on time and for free. Below, we break down everything you need to know about Free File, including who qualifies for it, how it works and what you’ll need to do to take advantage of the free program.

For additional important tax information, learn about the earliest and latest you can file your taxes in 2025 and which states have tax deadlines other than April 15.

What is Free File?

IRS Free File is a public-private partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, a group of commercial tax preparation and filing software companies who provide their online tax-prep and filing federal returns electronically at no cost to taxpayers.

The Free File system is now available, with the following eight partners participating:

• TaxAct
• 1040Now
• 1040.com
• TaxSlayer
• FreeTaxUSA
• OnLine Taxes
• FileYourTaxes.com
• ezTaxReturn.com (English and Spanish)

You’ll be directed to one of these sites to complete your return with simple, step-by-step instructions.

Who qualifies for IRS Free File?

Not every American will be eligible to use IRS Free File for the 2025 tax season. Tax preparation providers that participate in the program establish their own eligibility criteria. Individuals with an AGI of $84,000 or less are eligible to use Free File.

Those with an AGI over $84,000 are not eligible to prepare or e-file federal taxes via Free File, but can still use the Free File Fillable Forms for federal taxes. Just be aware that these forms do not include step-by-step assistance. This option is recommended for people familiar with IRS form instructions.

The system is designed to handle relatively simple tax returns. Those with complicated tax returns may not qualify for offers provided by the trusted partners.

What you need to use Free File

Before you begin with IRS Free File, you’ll need to pull together the following documentation:

• Income statements, such as W2s and 1099s
• Valid Social Security numbers for you, your spouse and any dependents
• A copy of last year’s tax return to access your AGI

How to use the Free File program

You can access Free File on a phone, computer or tablet, and complete the following steps:

1. Head to the IRS Free File website.
2. Click the Use Free Guided Tax Preparation button.
3. Then hit Find Your Trusted Partner tool to find an offer for the right product for you (alternatively, you can use the Browse All Trusted Partners tool to review each offer from each partner).
4. Select one of the eight partners.
5. Follow the links to the provider’s website to begin your tax return.

Note that you can only use Free File to file your current year tax return. You cannot process a prior year return using Free File.

Is the Free File program really free?

According to the IRS, you can’t be asked to buy any products or services in exchange for having a federal tax return prepared by a participant in the Free File program. So yes, this program is free for federal tax returns. You may be charged a fee to file a state return, though some trusted partners also offer free state returns to certain qualifying individuals.

For more tax tips, see how much income brackets and the standard deduction are changing in 2025. Also, explore our cheat sheet for filing your taxes and our picks for the best tax software.