How to file your taxes for free

VITA: IRS-certified volunteers

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program prepares returns for free for people who generally make about $70,000 or less, people with disabilities, and people who speak limited English. The IRS doesn't set a single income limit for the whole program, and each site can set its own.

Volunteers are IRS-certified and every return gets a quality review before it's filed. Sites are usually in community centers, libraries, schools and shopping malls, and they're open mainly during tax season.

• They do prepare, per the IRS list: wages and tips (W-2), simple self-employment (1099-NEC, 1099-K), the Child Tax Credit and EITC, ITIN applications (Form W-7), and some prior-year or amended returns.
• They don't prepare: businesses with losses, depreciation or a home office, complicated capital gains, or disaster losses.

Services vary from site to site. Find one with the IRS locator (in the sources below) or by calling 800-906-9887.

TCE: for people 60 and older

The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program helps people 60 and older for free, with a focus on pensions and retirement. Many of its sites are run by AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, which has its own locator and the phone number 888-227-7669.

What to bring

• Original photo ID for you and your spouse (if filing jointly).
• Social Security cards, or ITIN letters, for everyone on the return.
• Birth dates for everyone.
• All your W-2s and 1099s, and your SSA-1099 if you get Social Security.
• A copy of last year's federal and state returns, if you have them.
• Your bank's routing and account numbers for direct deposit, such as a blank check.
• What you paid for daycare and the provider's tax ID number.
• Form 1095-A, if you had Health Insurance Marketplace coverage.
• To e-file a joint return, both spouses must be there.

If you need an ITIN

Some VITA sites have Certifying Acceptance Agents (CAAs) who help you with Form W-7 for free: they review it, authenticate most of your documents so you don't have to mail the originals, and send the application. You need an appointment, each applicant must come with their package, and only some states have sites with this service. The list is in the sources below. You can also apply for free, by appointment, at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center; getting an appointment can take several weeks.

IRS Free File: free online software

For 2025 returns, IRS Free File offered free software to people with adjusted gross income of $89,000 or less. It opened January 9, 2026 and is available through October 15, 2026. The limit and dates for 2026 returns haven't been announced yet.

• Always start at IRS.gov/FreeFile: if you go straight to the company's site, it may not be free.
• Each company sets its own age, state or income rules, and some offer the state return for free.
• In 2026 there was one Spanish-language option (ezTaxReturn), for ages 17 to 85 and only in some states; Texas, Florida, Nevada and Tennessee, among others, weren't on the list.
• It only works for the current year's return.

If you don't qualify, IRS Free File Fillable Forms are for any income level, but they're blank forms: they don't guide you, they only do basic math, and they don't prepare a state return.

To sign electronically you're asked for last year's adjusted gross income; you can find it in your IRS Online Account. If you're filing for the first time, or last year's return is still being processed, enter 0.

The IRS Direct File program wasn't available in the 2026 filing season, and the IRS hasn't announced it will return. Active-duty and reserve service members (including the Coast Guard) and certain veterans can use the Defense Department's MilTax, free and with up to five state returns.

If you'd rather pay someone

• Every paid preparer must have a PTIN, sign your return and include that number. If they refuse to sign, they're a "ghost" preparer and that's a red flag.
• Never sign a blank or incomplete return.
• Avoid preparers who charge a percentage of your refund.
• The IRS has a directory of preparers with credentials, and you can report a preparer with Form 14157 (or Form 14157-A if they filed or changed your return without your consent).