You can file your state taxes for free online through one of three main routes: an IRS Free File partner product that includes your state return, a free direct-filing portal run by your state’s revenue department, or a commercial software company’s free tier for simple returns. Which one fits depends on your income, your state, and how complicated your return is. For the 2026 filing season, taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $89,000 or less qualify for guided software through IRS Free File, and many of those partner products cover the state return alongside the federal one at no charge.1Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Tax Filing Season Opens With Several Free Filing Options Available
The Free Online Filing Options
IRS Free File Partner Software
IRS Free File is a partnership between the federal government and eight private tax software companies. For the 2026 filing season, each participating company offers at least one product that prepares and e-files a federal return for taxpayers with an AGI of $89,000 or less, and many of those products include a state return in the same package.1Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Tax Filing Season Opens With Several Free Filing Options Available
Each provider sets its own rules on top of the AGI cap. Some cover only certain states, some limit the free state return to simpler filings, and some charge for the state return even when the federal one is free. Start at the IRS Free File landing page, where you can filter available offers by income, state, and filing status to see which products will actually cover your state at no cost. Read the fine print on the provider’s page before you begin entering data.
Active-duty military members within the AGI threshold can generally use Free File software no matter which state they file in. Taxpayers who claim the federal Earned Income Tax Credit also tend to find that most Free File providers cover their state return for free.
Your State’s Direct-Filing Portal
Many state revenue departments run their own online filing portals where any resident can submit a state return for free, with no income cap. These portals connect you directly to the state agency and skip third-party software altogether. Features and eligibility differ from state to state, so check your state tax agency’s website to see whether a portal exists and what it supports. If your state has one, it is often the cleanest option: you enter your data once, submit through the state’s own system, and avoid the risk that a commercial product will try to upsell you at checkout.
Commercial Free Tiers
Some tax software companies offer a free tier outside the Free File program for taxpayers with straightforward returns. These typically handle a basic federal and state filing when your income is limited to W-2 wages and you do not need extra schedules. Only about a third of filers have returns simple enough to qualify. Watch for products that advertise free federal filing but charge separately for the state return.
In-Person Help as a Backup
If you would rather have someone prepare the return with you, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program provides free preparation, including state returns, at community sites nationwide. VITA serves taxpayers who generally earn $69,000 or less, people with disabilities, and those with limited English proficiency, and IRS-certified volunteers e-file the return for you. The Tax Counseling for the Elderly program offers similar free help for filers 60 or older, with a focus on retirement and pension income.2Internal Revenue Service. Free Tax Return Preparation for Qualifying Taxpayers The IRS site has a locator tool for both.
One route to skip: the IRS’s Direct File tool, which let taxpayers in 25 states file federal and state returns directly with the government during the 2025 season, has been suspended for 2026 with no announced return date. And Free File Fillable Forms, the IRS’s other in-house option, handles federal returns only and does not support state filings.3Internal Revenue Service. Free File Fillable Forms If you use Fillable Forms federally, you still need a separate method for your state return.
Which Free Option Fits Your Situation
Match the route to your facts. If your AGI is $89,000 or less, start with IRS Free File and use the lookup tool to find a partner that covers your state at no cost. If your income is above that cap, check whether your state runs its own free filing portal, since state portals usually have no income limit. If your return is simple W-2 income with no extra schedules, a commercial free tier can work regardless of your AGI, but confirm the state return is included before you file.
A few situations push past what free software supports. Returns involving foreign tax credits, rental property with depreciation, or multiple business activities may exceed the capabilities of free products.4Internal Revenue Service. Free File Fillable Forms – Program Limitations and Available Forms If your return needs those forms, plan on paid software or a tax professional.
And a boundary worth noting up front: nine states impose no broad personal income tax — Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming — so most residents there have no state return to file at all. Washington taxes certain capital gains for higher earners, and New Hampshire has historically taxed interest and dividend income, so confirm you have no filing obligation before skipping the return entirely.
What to Have Ready Before You Start
Gather your documents first. You will need Social Security numbers or ITINs for everyone on the return, all W-2 forms from employers, and any 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC forms for freelance or contract income.5Internal Revenue Service. Gather Your Documents
Complete your federal Form 1040 before starting the state return. Most states use your federal AGI, on line 11 of the 1040, as the starting point and then apply state-specific additions or subtractions from there. Your state may add back income the federal return excludes, or let you subtract income the state does not tax, such as certain Social Security or retirement distributions. Free filing software typically handles these adjustments automatically once you import your federal data.
Look at Box 17 on your W-2. That figure is the state income tax your employer already withheld during the year, and it goes on your state return as a credit against what you owe. If withholding exceeds your liability, you get a refund; if it falls short, you pay the difference.
If you plan to itemize on your state return, have receipts ready for medical expenses, mortgage interest, and charitable contributions. Most states apply a standard deduction based on your filing status, so itemizing only pays off if your qualifying expenses exceed that amount. Also check whether your state offers its own Earned Income Tax Credit — claiming the federal EITC often qualifies you for a state-level credit too, and free software will usually prompt you if it applies.
Filing Deadlines and Extensions
Most states use the same filing deadline as the federal government: April 15, 2026. A few states use slightly different dates, so confirm yours with the state tax agency.
If you cannot file by the deadline, you can request an extension to October 15, 2026.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Guide to Filing Your Taxes in 2026 Some states automatically honor a federal extension; others require you to file a separate state extension form by the original April deadline. Roughly a third of income-tax states accept the federal extension automatically, and the rest need their own paperwork.
An extension gives you more time to file, not more time to pay. If you expect to owe state tax, you generally need to pay a substantial portion of the estimated balance by the April deadline to avoid penalties and interest. Filing on time even when you cannot pay in full usually reduces the penalty.
If You Owe Tax in More Than One State
Working in one state while living in another usually means filing returns in both. The work state taxes the income earned there, and the home state taxes your total income from all sources. To avoid being taxed twice on the same income, most states let you claim a credit on your resident return for tax paid to the other state. File the nonresident return first so you know the exact credit amount.
Some neighboring states have reciprocal agreements that let your employer withhold only for your home state. Under those agreements, you generally do not have to file a nonresident return at all, though you may need to give your employer an exemption form.
Part-year residents — people who moved between states during the year — file a part-year return in each state, with each state taxing only the income earned while you lived there or sourced to that state. If you need two state returns, check the free product’s coverage carefully. Some free tiers include only one state and charge for a second.
Submitting the Return and Tracking Your Refund
E-filing is the fastest and most reliable way to submit. Once your return is complete through any of the free options above, you send it electronically and get a confirmation number back. Save that number as proof you filed on time. E-filed returns are typically processed within a few weeks.
Paper filing is still allowed but adds significant delay, since state employees have to enter the data by hand, and refunds can take several extra weeks or more.
To check your refund, use your state revenue department’s “Where’s My Refund” tool. You enter your Social Security number, filing status, and the exact whole-dollar refund amount, and the tool shows whether the return has been received, is in processing, or has a scheduled deposit date.