IR-2018-38, March 1, 2018 WASHINGTON — As the filing deadline approaches next month, the Internal Revenue Service today reminds taxpayers that more than 70 percent of them qualify for free tax filing with IRS Free File. The special service is available on IRS.gov and through the IRS2Go mobile app for Android and iOS users. Almost everyone can use Free File to prepare and e-file their federal taxes either through brand-name software or using online fillable forms. Individuals or families with 2017 adjusted gross incomes of $66,000 or less can use Free File software. There is no income limit to use Free File Fillable Forms, which are electronic versions of IRS paper forms. The Free File effort is featured as part of the Tax Time Guide, a series of nine news releases to help taxpayers navigate common tax issues as this year’s April 17 deadline nears. This is the first news release in the series. Taxpayers have the option to prepare their return at any time and schedule a tax payment as late as the April 17 deadline. Taxpayers who cannot meet the April tax filing deadline can also use IRS Free File to request an automatic six-month extension until Oct. 15, 2018. The IRS and Free File Alliance are marking their 16th year of providing free tax preparation products to taxpayers. In those 16 years, taxpayers have filed 51.1 million free federal tax returns. This equals a savings of $1.5 billion to taxpayers, using a conservative $30 per return preparation fee. More than 70 percent of all taxpayers — over 107 million people — are eligible for the software products. Each of the 12 commercial companies in the Free File Alliance has its own special offers, generally based on age, income or state residency. Taxpayers can review each company offer or they can use a “Lookup” tool that will find the software for which they are eligible. Some products offer free state return preparation, too. Active duty military personnel with incomes of $66,000 or less may use any IRS Free File software product of their choice without regard to the criteria. IRS Free File software does the work. It walks users through the tax preparation process using a series of questions and prompts while also helping to find tax changes that may affect their return. Taxpayers can find answers to questions, forms and instructions and easy-to-use tools online at IRS.gov 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No appointments required and no waiting on hold.
