How to File Your Income Taxes for Free (or at discount)

I remember the first time I filed my taxes. I was dropping something off at the post office when I saw tables full of cardboard boxes filled with forms with the now-familiar IRS eagle and scales logo. Tax season!

Those boxes were so intimidating. I was so scared of filing my taxes wrong and getting audited.

Fortunately, a friend of mine told me that I didn’t need those forms. There was software for that now and the software was really good.

I used TurboTax for many years before transitioning to an accountant when my business required it but looking back, that software was amazing, even back then! Can you imagine doing your taxes on one of these forms? All those boxes. All those complicated formulas. It’s amazing anyone gets it right.

Nowadays, software is even more impressive. They walk you through the process with real questions a human being would ask and then fill out the boxes for you. Then they compare the boxes for potential errors and ask you more questions. It’s truly amazing and totally worth the price. That’s the beauty of software!

Related: Do You Need to File a Tax Return?

What makes it even better is that if you qualify, you can get all the awesomeness of the software without paying a penny.

Why do companies offer this? They want to get your loyalty as quickly as possible, so they offer free tax preparation now in the hopes you will continue with them when you are no longer eligible for the free product. It’s also because it costs them very little to give this service (marginal cost) so it’s a good investment on their part.

🔃Updated February 2023 with the latest providers in the IRS Free File program for 2023, as well as the criteria for using their free filing services. We added a table to help you quickly scan who qualifies. We also updated the terms of the other free filing options for 2023.

Note: If you rented your home out for 14 or fewer days, you can exclude that rental income from your tax return because of the Augusta Rule. So if you would otherwise have a very simple tax situation, except for rental income of 14 or fewer days, you could still use the free editions.

IRS Free File: Income Below $73,000

The IRS has a Free File program that lets you use well-known free tax preparation software from brands you recognize like TaxACT, TaxSlayer, FreeTaxUSA, and many more. Not every program is available to every income level and there are other conditions, but this is the definitive resource for finding the right provider for you. There are 11 providers for 2023 and the table lists the conditions of the free software.

Some providers have two separate programs (typically the second is for ages 66+):

Or you can use their tool to help narrow down the list of providers.

The benefit of going through the IRS Free File program is that they’re vetted by the IRS and you’re less likely to be upsold to a paid version. It’s still possible based on your situation, but less likely.

TurboTax Free Edition

TurboTax Free Edition lets you prepare and file your federal and state income taxes for free, as long as you have a simple tax return. This means you only have:

• W-2 income
• Limited interest and dividend income reported on a 1099-INT or 1099-DIV
• Claiming the standard deduction
• Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC)
• Child tax credits
• Student Loan Interest deduction

If you need to itemize your deductions, have a Form 1099-G (unemployment) or business income, sale of stock, rental property, or other similar situations – it’s not available.

File for free with TurboTax Free Edition. For simple tax returns only. Not all taxpayers qualify. 

Try TurboTax Free Edition

FreeTaxUSA

FreeTaxUSA is a tax preparation program that offers a free and Deluxe version. If you have a simple, or even slightly complicated return, you can use their free program regardless of income. If you only have W2 income, minimal interest and dividend income, and only basic itemized deductions then you qualify. The Deluxe version is just $7.99 if you have a more complicated tax situation. (and State is $14.99)

We took a deeper look at FreeTaxUSA.

Try FreeTaxUSA

Cash App Taxes

Cash App Taxes, formerly Credit Karma Tax, is completely free to file federal and state taxes regardless of your situation.

There is just one plan and it includes practically everything. There are no upsells or hidden fees and no income limit, unlike other free tax preparation. There is no paid option, so you never have to worry about being bumped up from a free to a “paid” version.

They support a lot of forms and will probably we work for for you but there are a few exceptions. They aren’t able to do (full list here):

• multiple state filings,
• part-year state filing,
• foreign earned income,
• married filing separately returns in community property states,
• or state filing without a federal filing.

So if you qualify (you probably do), give them a look.

Try Cash App Taxes for Free

(read our full review of Cash App Taxes for more details)

Simple Tax Situations – Form 1040EZ/1040A

If you have a very simple tax situation, you may get free filing if you qualify for the Form 1040EZ or Form 1040A, even with incomes above $73,000.

The Form 1040EZ is a single page with a little more than a dozen boxes. You can be married or single, have no dependents, an income of less than $100,000, and claim no adjustments. All the rules are on the second page. You can use tax preparation software for this if you’d like, it’ll be free, and the only benefit is that you’ll be able to import that information next year.

The Form 1040A is a two page form that is a little more complicated but not significantly more.

In both cases, many preparers will let you file for free.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

For those earning $60,0000 or less, need additional assistance due to disability, age, or limited language, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program or the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) can help. You can find more about these programs here.

Discounted Options

If you don’t qualify from an income perspective or filing status, you might be able to get it through a tax preparer’s partner (this list has not been fully updated for 2023 as we are still early in the tax season, we will update these as they are released and promoted):

• Active duty military: Many tax preparers offer discounts or free filing for active-duty military, such as TaxSlayer’s Military Discount Offer ($0 federal filing) and TurboTax military discount (currently free filing). If you are active military, you should also check the Free File program because there are often exceptions to the income rules if you are active military.
• Fidelity customers can get a $20 discount on TurboTax products. click here for Fidelity. Vanguard used to offer this but no longer does so.
• Robinhood offers $15 off TurboTax Premier for 2023.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping offers 1,000 points if you file your taxes with TurboTax going through their Shopping portal. This is valid for the Free Edition too.
• American Express cardmembers may see a statement credit offer of $15 after a $40 purchase at H&R Block – check under Amex Offers & Benefits.
• Many of the tax preparers still sell software. You can buy it from retailers like Amazon.com, Costco, and many others. It’s often slightly cheaper to buy the software versus doing it online because of the filing costs. For example, TurboTax Deluxe Federal + State Taxes is just under $35 on Amazon. TurboTax Deluxe on the TurboTax homepage is $30 + $39 per state filing. TurboTax Home & Business is just under $76 for the disc.

One final note, to get your refund as quickly as possible, remember to e-File and elect for direct deposit of your refund.

Once your return is accepted, your direct deposit is initiated in about a week. A paper check takes an extra day before it is sent, which means it’s several mor.

e days before it makes its way through the postal system and gets to your mailbox.

Then you deposit it and it’ll take a few more days to clear. Direct deposit will get you your own money at least a week faster than a paper check… plus there’s a zero chance it gets lost.