October 11, 2019 — The IRS is strongly committed to providing taxpayers with various viable options and tools, including free services, that help them effectively meet their tax obligations—whether online as currently supported by Free File or in-person as supported by the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. The IRS takes the recent concerns raised about the Free File Alliance very seriously. We hired the MITRE Corporation to conduct an independent review of the existing program. We received the independent assessment of the Free File Program and are carefully reviewing the report’s recommendations. The IRS is identifying short and long-term actions that can help improve Free File for the nation’s taxpayers. The IRS continues to collaborate with the Free File Alliance to identify and further explore ways to better help low- to moderate-income taxpayers. The IRS is also looking at opportunities to improve taxpayer awareness and enhance both the use and satisfaction with the Free File program. Helpful Links Independent Assessment of Free File Program PDF Appendix A : The Economics of IRS Free File PDF Appendix B: External Program Review Crosswalk PDF Appendix F1: Heuristic Evaluation Dashboard of IRS Free File Program PDF Appendix F2: Heuristic Evaluation of IRS Free File Program PDF Appendix 6: Taxpayer Experience Testing Report for IRS Free File Program PDF Free File Program Assessment Report Executive Summary PDF
