EDITOR’S NOTE: This editorial has been updated from one that ran in 2021.
And just like that, it’s tax season again. Already the commercials are airing for various tax services — talking about write-offs and deductions and credits and other gibberish — and the sign-spinners dressed like the Statue of Liberty are wiggling for warmth on the sidewalk outside Suburban Plaza.
According to the IRS, tax season opened Jan. 24 and ends April 18.
If you scoffed that there is no such thing as “free” tax filing, you are partially correct. There are actual, real free tax filing sites. But these sites are powered by the same tax-filing companies that make money off “helping” you with your taxes. Which means these companies go out of their way to hide the actual free sites.
If you Google “free tax filing online,” one result on the first three pages will take you to an actual free filing site.
OLT Free File is a real free filing site (page 2 of the search). The only other link that will eventually lead you to free filing options is the IRS website, where you answer a few questions to determine if you qualify for free filing. That website can be found here: https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/.
All the other results lead you to websites that claim to be free, but as soon as you start putting in your information, you’re likely to find you don’t qualify for their version of “free.” On TurboTax, for example, you can start your filing for free and it takes you to a list of categories. If you check any categories beyond “I paid rent,” “I have a job (received W-2)” or “I have children or dependents,” you will be redirected to their deluxe service for $60.
We have a list of websites where you can actually file for free (with the IRS’s approval).
The IRS website referenced earlier and each of the sites we’re about to list will display the criteria you must meet to file for free on that website, such as if you have an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $73,000 or less; if you or a spouse are active duty military with an AGI of $73,000 or less; and/or if you are eligible for Earned Income Tax Credit. (Some sites will have a lower AGI limit, and not all sites offer free state filing.)
In addition, some of these sites have an age limit, while others do not. Because of limited space, we can’t list each site’s criteria, but we will share the links to each site.
- FileYourTaxes.com (www.fileyourtaxes.com/irs-free-file)
- Free 1040 Tax Return (https://freetaxes.free1040taxreturn.com/)
- 1040NOW (www.1040now.net/freefile.htm)
- TurboTax (https://freefile.intuit.com/)
- Online Taxes at OLT.com (https://www.olt.com/main/oltfree/default.asp)
- FreeTaxUSA (https://www.freetaxusa.com/freefile/)
You can also do free tax filing with TaxSlayer, TaxAct and H&R Block, but we recommend you find their free links through the IRS website.
