The IRS is now accepting 2018 tax returns, and they’re due on April 15, 2019. Popular tax programs often advertise “free” returns before hitting you with an upsell, but here’s how you can do your taxes for free.
Incomes Below $66,000: IRS Free File
Here’s a secret: If your income is $66,000 or below, you can use the IRS’s Free File service. This is a partnership between the IRS and tax software companies like TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct, TaxSlayer, and others.
To use these free programs, you must head to the IRS’s Free File Software Offers website and click through to the tool you want to use. You can’t just go to the tax software’s regular website, or you won’t receive this offer. But, if you do click through here and qualify, you can use all the features you want with no attempted upsells—even in programs like TurboTax and H&R Block, which are notorious for charging you extra to use certain forms and “get your maximum refund.”
To put it another way: The “Free File” versions of the tax software are different from the normal “free” versions on their websites. You have to know they exist and seek them out.
And yes, this does seem to be a secret. As MarketWatch points out, 100 million Americans are eligible to file their taxes for free, but only 3 million Americans do.
Read the fine print carefully before you get started. For example, if you need to file a state tax return, not all the programs will help you. TurboTax will only let you file a free federal return if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is $34,000 or less. H&R Block covers more people and will let you file for free if your income is $66,000 or less and your age is between 17 and 51.
We recommend you click the “Lookup Tool” button and fill in the details about your age, income, and state. The IRS website will tell you which tax-filing tools you can use for free and point you to ones that can also do your state taxes for you if your state requires you to file a tax return. If you need help finding a piece of software that can do your state taxes for free, the website of your state’s revenue department may provide more information.
Anyone: Credit Karma Tax
