IRS head says free Direct File tax service is ‘gone’

[John Drake]

Trump cancels IRS Direct File free tax filing service. Now tax filers need to go back to using for profit tax filing software, whose companies donated to and lobbied Trump to cancel Direct File. Gotta keep those billionaires happy. What a pig he is. 

 

Quote

The Trump administration may have just axed the IRS Direct File program. During a summit earlier this week, IRS Commissioner Billy Long said the free tax filing service is “gone,” adding that “big beautiful Billy wiped that out,” as reported earlier by Bloomberg Law.  https://www.theverge.com/news/717308/irs-direct-file-gone-billy-long-trump-administration

 

[John Drake]

Trump: "If it makes your life worse, we're all in on it."

[gamb00ler]

There are still the non-governmental free filing options.  Not all will accept expatriates but OLT will.  I've used them since moving to CM.

 

I also use a donation ware Excel spreadsheet by Glenn Reeves to do my tax planning... it's super good and is updated multiple times a year.

 

https://sites.google.com/view/incometaxspreadsheet/home

 

[John Drake]

2 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

There are still the non-governmental free filing options.  Not all will accept expatriates but OLT will.  I've used them since moving to CM.

 

I also use a donation ware Excel spreadsheet by Glenn Reeves to do my tax planning... it's super good and is updated multiple times a year.

 

https://sites.google.com/view/incometaxspreadsheet/home

 

 

I've used FreeTaxUSA. But you need a US address. Some of the other companies cancelled their free filing services a few years ago or limited the income or what functions it allowed, such as filing 1099Rs. I didn't use IRS Direct File but I was interested in it, because I understood it allowed for ID.ME verification to integrate your tax information directly into your return.

[riclag]

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

Trump cancels IRS Direct File free tax filing service. Now tax filers need to go back to using for profit tax filing software, whose companies donated to and lobbied Trump to cancel Direct File. Gotta keep those billionaires happy. What a pig he is. 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

Trump cancels IRS Direct File free tax filing service. Now tax filers need to go back to using for profit tax filing software, whose companies donated to and lobbied Trump to cancel Direct File. Gotta keep those billionaires happy. What a pig he is. 

 

 

 

Your source!

Vox Media ,The Verge is an American technology news website based in New York City, operated by Vox Media! Another Trump bashing news service.To my amazement you go to the billionaire anti capitalist narrative. 

The service was tied into the Biden inflation reduction act costing the feds millions. You like free try the IRS free file program.

[stevenl]

4 minutes ago, riclag said:

 

 

Your source!

Vox Media ,The Verge is an American technology news website based in New York City, operated by Vox Media! Another Trump bashing news service.

 

So has the  Direct File free tax filing service been cancelled?

[Thailand J]

CNBC:

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/30/irs-chief-says-agency-plans-to-end-free-direct-file-program.html

[Thailand J]

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

There are still the non-governmental free filing options.  Not all will accept expatriates but OLT will.  I've used them since moving to CM.

OLT is the only site that I can e-file without a US phone number or address.

Hope it will stay the same or i will have to file by mail.

[cjinchiangrai]

The paper 1040s are still free, and I know how to use them. No worries.

[Thailand J]

3 minutes ago, cjinchiangrai said:

The paper 1040s are still free, and I know how to use them. No worries.

It's 2025. Hello?

 

[gamb00ler]

4 minutes ago, cjinchiangrai said:

The paper 1040s are still free, and I know how to use them. No worries.

And you can probably still find a spinning wheel to spin your own yarn!

[cjinchiangrai]

2 minutes ago, Thailand J said:

It's 2025. Hello?

Yes, it's 2025 and I still remember how pencils and calculators work. They still work just fine.

[riclag]

Is this IRS related or another Trump bashing thread?

God forbid if his administration makes cuts of millions upon millions of dollars ,when there is another free service.

[gamb00ler]

2 minutes ago, cjinchiangrai said:

Yes, it's 2025 and I still remember how pencils and calculators work. They still work just fine.

OK... but do you remember pre-electronic-calculator methods?  Friden perhaps?

[cjinchiangrai]

2 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

And you can probably still find a spinning wheel to spin your own yarn!

It is not that complicated

[cjinchiangrai]

1 minute ago, gamb00ler said:

OK... but do you remember pre-electronic-calculator methods?  Frieden perhaps?

No but I probably still have a slide rule.

[gamb00ler]

Just now, cjinchiangrai said:

It is not that complicated

sure... I've done my own for 35 years... but I still like it better to file electronically.

[gamb00ler]

1 minute ago, cjinchiangrai said:

No but I probably still have a slide rule.

I think I was 11 when my older sister taught me how to use one of those.... but after a dozen or so moves it seems to have missed the boat somewhere.

[gamb00ler]

6 minutes ago, cjinchiangrai said:

It is not that complicated

Since you file your own, I recommend you check out the spreadsheet I mentioned earlier... excellent tool.

[cjinchiangrai]

Just now, gamb00ler said:

I think I was 11 when my older sister taught me how to use one of those.... but after a dozen or so moves it seems to have missed the boat somewhere.

Now that scientific calculators come with your phone, they are not that useful. Logarithmic calculations are not that useful for accounting anyway. I don't really need the calculator, it just saves a little time.

[John Drake]

15 minutes ago, riclag said:

Is this IRS related or another Trump bashing thread?

God forbid if his administration makes cuts of millions upon millions of dollars ,when there is another free service.

Ah yes. The usa where you must pay to pay your taxes. Thanks Trump

[riclag]

8 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Ah yes. The usa where you must pay to pay your taxes. Thanks Trump

So what is it John a Trump bashing thread or the Home Country forum where 

Banking ,IRS related subjects are discussed?

Ive payed to have my Taxes done way before I ever heard of Trump

[Mark1969]

29 minutes ago, cjinchiangrai said:

Yes, it's 2025 and I still remember how pencils and calculators work. They still work just fine.

Only if it arrives.

[Thailand J]

you can use a pencil to file 1040 forms?

 

 

 

[TedG]

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

Ah yes. The usa where you must pay to pay your taxes. Thanks Trump

There were income limits to direct filing, and it lacked itemized deductions.   There is a free file for people who make less than 84K. 

[Thailand J]

 

 

 

41 minutes ago, TedG said:

There were income limits to direct filing, and it lacked itemized deductions.   There is a free file for people who make less than 84K.

 

Are those sites private paid tax filing services ? Don't THey require US phone numbers and addresses? Its free for lower income but my yearly income is way above that.

 

"Free File Fillable Forms" is a government site with no income limits, which worked for me for years up until a US phone number was required to create an account, the site should still works for you if you have a US phone number of which I don't.

 

As of now OLT.com is the only site I can use. No US phone required, no income limits. Federal income return is free while they drew income from other services such as state income return.

 

 

[riclag]

47 minutes ago, TedG said:

There were income limits to direct filing, and it lacked itemized deductions.   There is a free file for people who make less than 84K. 

 

21 minutes ago, Thailand J said:

 

 

 

Are those sites private paid tax filing services ? Don't THey require US phone numbers and addresses? Its free for lower income but my yearly income is way above that.

 

"Free File Fillable Forms" is a government site with no income limits, which worked for me for years up until a US phone number was required to create an account.

 

As of now OLT.com is the only site I can use. Federal income return is free while thy drew income from other services such as state income return.

 

I was hoping to try Direct File one day....

It was free,but nobody cares what it cost to run.

Direct file started in 2024.

What GAO Found. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reported to Congress in May 2023 that it estimated the annual costs of a Direct File tax system could range from $64 million to $249 million depending on the number of taxpayers served and the complexity of tax situations supported.

https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-107236#:~:text=What GAO Found,complexity of tax situations supported.

[TedG]

3 minutes ago, riclag said:

 

It was free,but nobody cares what it cost to run.

Direct file started in 2024.

What GAO Found. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reported to Congress in May 2023 that it estimated the annual costs of a Direct File tax system could range from $64 million to $249 million depending on the number of taxpayers served and the complexity of tax situations supported.

https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-107236#:~:text=What GAO Found,complexity of tax situations supported.

The federal government is efficient when it comes to running a service.  

[Patong2021]

2 hours ago, cjinchiangrai said:

Yes, it's 2025 and I still remember how pencils and calculators work. They still work just fine.

So much for improving efficiency. It costs much more to process the manual return. The document must be scanned, the data must be keyed in. The AI reading tools that convert PDF to data inputs have a high rate of error and must be verified. The documents must be stored. What does DOGE have to say about this?

[riclag]

2 minutes ago, TedG said:

The federal government is efficient when it comes to running a service.  

Yup,

Sarcasm alert, Clean up on aisle butt hurt cause Biden's far left wanted to give billions in

free b's  until cost conscious administrators came in and took over .