Finance & Money
Free routes to filing a tax return
Several no-cost options exist, each with its own conditions. The paid alternatives are marketed considerably more heavily than any of them.
The IRS sponsors volunteer programmes that prepare returns at no charge for filers below an income threshold, for people with disabilities, and for older filers. Sites are staffed by trained volunteers and listed on the IRS website with a locator tool.
There is also a free filing programme delivered through partner software for filers under an income limit, and free fillable forms for anyone comfortable completing a return without guidance. The entry point matters: reaching a partner through the IRS page is what secures the free version of the product.
Military members have additional free options, and a number of states provide their own free filing for the state return, which is a separate process from the federal one.
The products to be careful with are those that advance a refund at a cost, and those advertised as free that begin charging once a particular form is added. Checking the price of the complete return before entering any data avoids both.
What to do next. Start at the IRS free filing page rather than through a search engine, and look up a volunteer preparation site near you.
studentaid.gov outranks this page. Rules, figures and dates change
between academic years. This is written to help you read the official sources, not to
stand in front of them. Start there.
Nothing here is a determination. We cannot tell you what you qualify
for, and no website can. The programme and the office that runs it decide that, after
you apply.
Still have a question?
Describe what you are trying to work out and a member of the team will answer, or direct you to the office that makes the decision.