No fooling – April 15 will be here before you know it. Don’t wait for the last minute, when you are more likely to make costly mistakes.
Here’s how to do your taxes for free or almost free online, with and without tax filing software, and file online for free.
Note that these tips apply only to your federal income tax, submitted to the IRS, not for separate state or local income tax filing.
But once you have computed your federal taxes, the others should be easy.
Note that you may have more time to file if:
- You were affected by a federally-declared disaster.
- You are living out of the country on the due date.
See also
Most Common Mistakes We Make on Our Taxes
Protect Yourself Against Tax Time Identity Theft
IRS Direct File
If you live in one of these 12 states —Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington or Wyoming — you may be able to file your taxes for free directly with the IRS using a new test program.
There is no income limit, but the program is limited to simple tax returns.
If you have multiple sources of income or take some types of tax credits or deductions, you can’t use this new streamlined system.
IRS Free File
Under IRS Free File, eight tax software programs offer free use of their tax filing software – but the highest income supported by any of the programs is $79,000.
If your total income – wages and investment income – is more than that, you cannot use this program.
Most tax software providers offer free filing through their own websites, sometimes with a lower bar to qualify for free filing.
Before starting, you should compare the Free File version from the IRS to the free version provided directly by the tax software company to ensure you are using the best system .
MyFreeTaxes.com
If your household income is less than $79,000, you can file using My Free Taxes.
MyFreeTaxes is a project sponsored by the United Way in partnership with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.
Behind the scenes, you’ll use a tax software interface from a popular vendor, such as TaxSlayer. If you qualify, it’s worth exploring.
Cash App Taxes
This is a free tax filing service from Square. Cash App Taxes is completely free for all users,
You have to download the app to your desktop or laptop. You can also download it to your phone, but ecoXplorer does not recommend doing your taxes on your phone, because it’s just too easy to make mistakes on that itsy-bitsy keypad.
According to CNET, even taxpayers with more complicated filing situations (freelance income, business deductions, crypto trades, rental property income or health savings accounts) can use Cash App Taxes for free.
And unlike FreeTaxUSA, you can file your state taxes for free, too – but only one state tax return per filer. So if you moved during the year or work and live across state lines, you’ll have to keep shopping for another tax software. Or, use Cash App Taxes for one state return and another online filing system for the other.
TurboTax and H&R Block
H&R Block offers free income tax filing for a slightly larger group than TurboTax.
The free version works for simple tax returns and supports unemployment income and education-related deductions and credits.
H&R Block Online may be your best choice if you’re in college or have been unemployed in the last year. It’s also easy to use.
More Free & Cheap Filing Choices
TaxAct is another popular tax preparation software options. Like many free options, it doesn’t include state taxes.
TaxSlayer offers lower pricing than its larger competitors. The free version is limited, but worth checking out if you have a fairly simple tax situation.
Free tax services for military and veterans
IRS-certified volunteers – If you earn $67,000 or less, have a disability, are 60 years or older or need language support.
Don’t Delay and Miss the April 15 Deadline
You could owe taxes, penalties, and interest. And if you think you earn so little you don’t have to file, you should probably file a tax return anyway to find out if you qualify for any valuable tax credits or deductions that could result in a refund.
If You Need More Time to File or Pay
If you need more time, you must request an extension by the April filing deadline. Filing later may add penalties.
If you file an extension, you must still pay taxes you owe by the deadline. Paying later adds interest and penalties.
If you can’t pay, get help with tax debt.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is the immediate past President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA).
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter also is a member of two other prestigious journalist groups, the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA) and the North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. (NASJA).
Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.
Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter
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