IRS Free File starts Jan. 10

By Jeff Stimpson January 09, 2025, 11:13 a.m. EST 1 Min Read

IRS Free File Guided Tax Software will be available this Friday for taxpayers ahead of the start of tax season later this month.

Starting Jan. 10, IRS Free File will begin accepting individual returns. Providers will generally allow taxpayers to prepare and file returns now and hold them for e-filing when the season starts.

Taxpayers can access free software tools at IRS Free File page on IRS.gov.

U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 1040 Individual Income Tax forms for the 2016 tax year are arranged for a photograph in Tiskilwa, Illinois, U.S., on Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. This week marks the last leg of Republicans' push to revamp the U.S. tax code, with both the House and Senate planning to vote by Wednesday on final legislation before sending it to President Donald Trump. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

"Taxpayers have multiple filing choices," said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, in a statement, "including trusted tax professionals, tax software, Free File, Direct File or free preparation services through IRS partners."

IRS Free File is entering its 23rd filing season and is delivered through a partnership between the IRS and Free File Inc. (formerly the Free File Alliance). Eight private-sector partners will provide online guided tax software products for taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $84,000 or less in 2024. Taxpayers with an AGI above $84,000 can use the Free File Fillable Forms starting Jan. 27.

For 2025, the partners participating in IRS Free File are 1040Now, Drake (1040.com), ezTaxReturn.com (also in Spanish), FileYourTaxes.com, On-Line Taxes,TaxAct, TaxHawk (FreeTaxUSA) and TaxSlayer.

Jeff Stimpson

Freelance writer