IRS announces extension of Free File program through 2029

The IRS announced an extension of the current Free File program through 2029 following an agreement that will continue to make the free private-sector tax software available to taxpayers. 

The five-year extension agreement between the IRS and Free File Inc. will continue the program through October 2029. 

Free File is a public-private partnership between the IRS and several tax preparation software companies who provide their online tax preparation and filing software for free. Through this partnership, tax preparation and filing software providers make their online products available to eligible taxpayers. The program is only available on IRS.gov. 

This year, Free File saw an increase of about 200,000 tax returns filed through the program, reaching 2.9 million returns as of May 11. That’s an increase of 7.3% from the 2.7 million filed through the same period last year. 

The IRS noted that Free File remains available on IRS.gov for taxpayers through the Oct. 15 extension deadline for 2023 tax returns. 

For 2024, partners participating in IRS Free File are: 

• 1040Now 

• Drake (1040.com) 

• ezTaxReturn.com 

• FileYourTaxes.com 

• On-Line Taxes 

• TaxAct 

• TaxHawk (FreeTaxUSA) 

• TaxSlayer 

The IRS also saw interest this tax season in the Direct File pilot, which allowed taxpayers to file electronically directly with the IRS for the first time. Several hundred thousand taxpayers across 12 states signed up for Direct File accounts, and 140,803 taxpayers filed their federal tax returns using the new service. 

The IRS also saw increased activity in free tax returns at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites, with 2.6 million returns prepared representing 200,000 more than a year ago.