If your adjusted gross income for 2025 was $89,000 or less, you can file your federal tax return for free using IRS Free File, a partnership between the IRS and private tax software companies.1Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Tax Filing Season Opens With Several Free Filing Options Available Earn above that threshold and you can still e-file at no cost using Free File Fillable Forms. If you’d rather have someone prepare the return with you, free in-person help is available for lower-income filers, people with disabilities, taxpayers with limited English, and anyone 60 or older. Here is how to file your taxes for free in 2026, and how to pick the option that fits your situation.
IRS Free File: The Main Free Option
IRS Free File gives you guided tax software from a participating private company at no charge, provided your 2025 AGI was $89,000 or less.1Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Tax Filing Season Opens With Several Free Filing Options Available The software walks you through interview-style questions, does the math, and e-files your return to the IRS. Active-duty military members within the AGI limit can also use these products.
Each partner sets its own additional eligibility rules on top of the income cap. One company might restrict its free offer by age, another by state of residence, another by the types of income on your return. Because of that, check a few offers before committing. You reach every participating partner through the IRS Free File page on irs.gov. Starting through that page matters: if you go directly to a company’s own website, you may land on a paid product instead of the free one.
If Your Income Is Above $89,000: Free File Fillable Forms
Free File Fillable Forms is the IRS’s free e-filing option for anyone whose income is too high for Free File. The tool gives you blank electronic versions of the federal forms, does basic arithmetic, and submits the return for you. It does not ask interview questions, and it does not suggest deductions or credits.2Internal Revenue Service. Free File Fillable Forms Plan on using it only if you’re comfortable reading IRS instructions and filling out forms yourself.
Free In-Person Help: VITA and TCE
Two IRS-sponsored programs staff free tax preparation sites around the country with certified volunteers.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) serves low-to-moderate-income taxpayers, people with disabilities, and taxpayers with limited English proficiency. Sites operate out of community centers, libraries, and similar local spaces. You can locate one through the IRS site locator on irs.gov or by calling 800-906-9887.
Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) focuses on people 60 and older, with volunteers trained on pension income, retirement distributions, and other issues that come up more often for seniors.3eCFR. 26 CFR Part 601 Subpart H – Tax Counseling for the Elderly Many TCE sites operate through AARP Foundation Tax-Aide. The same IRS locator tool will find one near you.
Direct File Is Not Available for 2026
The IRS previously ran a free filing tool called Direct File that let taxpayers submit returns straight to the government without third-party software. It is not available for the 2026 filing season. If you used it in a prior year, switch to IRS Free File or one of the other options above.
What to Gather Before You Start
Whichever free option you use, having your documents in one place before you begin will save you time and cut down on errors. You’ll want:
- Social Security numbers or ITINs for yourself, your spouse if filing jointly, and every dependent on the return.
- Your income forms: W-2s from employers, and any 1099s you received (1099-NEC for freelance or contract work, 1099-INT for bank interest, 1099-DIV for dividends, 1099-G for unemployment, and so on).
- Your prior-year AGI. E-filing software uses your 2024 AGI as an identity check. It’s on line 11 of your 2024 Form 1040, or you can look it up through your IRS online account.4Internal Revenue Service. Validating Your Electronically Filed Tax Return
- Bank routing and account numbers, if you want your refund deposited directly instead of mailed.
- Records for any deductions or credits you plan to claim: Form 1098 for mortgage interest, Form 1098-T for tuition, charitable contribution records, and receipts for other deductible expenses.
Missing a W-2 or 1099? Contact the employer or financial institution first. Most employers also post these forms in an online payroll portal. As a backup, you can request a Wage and Income Transcript from the IRS, but it may take a while to arrive.
If the IRS has issued you an Identity Protection PIN, either because you asked for one or because you were a victim of tax-related identity theft, you must enter that six-digit number on your return. Retrieve it through the Get an IP PIN tool at irs.gov.
The Deadline and How to Submit
Your 2025 federal return, and any tax you owe, is due April 15, 2026.5Internal Revenue Service. IRS Announces First Day of 2026 Filing Season If you need more time to prepare the return, you can get an automatic six-month extension by filing Form 4868 or by making an electronic tax payment and marking it as an extension. Either method moves your filing deadline to October 15, 2026.6Internal Revenue Service. Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return An extension only extends filing, not paying. Anything owed after April 15 accrues interest and possible penalties.
When you e-file through any free program, the software will ask you to sign electronically by entering your prior-year AGI or your IP PIN.4Internal Revenue Service. Validating Your Electronically Filed Tax Return First-time filers over age 16 enter zero for the prior-year AGI. You’ll get a confirmation once the IRS accepts the return.
Paper filing is still allowed. Print Form 1040, sign it, and mail it to the processing center listed for your state. Paper returns take at least six weeks to process, compared to about three weeks for e-filed returns.
What About Your State Return
Free File covers your federal return. Not every Free File partner throws in a free state return, and some charge for it, so read the offer details before you pick a provider.7Internal Revenue Service. Many Taxpayers May Be Able to File Their State Tax Return Using IRS Free File If the partner you like charges for state filing, check your state tax agency’s website. Many states run their own free filing tool.
Nine states have no individual income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. If you live in one of them, only the federal return matters.
If You Miss the Deadline
Filing late and paying late are two separate penalties, and they stack. The failure-to-file penalty is 5% of the unpaid tax per month, up to 25%, with a minimum penalty of $525 or the total unpaid tax (whichever is less) once your return is more than 60 days late.8Internal Revenue Service. Failure to File Penalty The failure-to-pay penalty runs at 0.5% of the unpaid tax per month, also capped at 25%, and drops to 0.25% per month if you set up an IRS-approved payment plan.9Internal Revenue Service. Failure to Pay Penalty Interest also accrues on any unpaid balance, at 7% annually for the first quarter of 2026, compounded daily.10Internal Revenue Service. Quarterly Interest Rates
If you can’t pay the full amount you owe, file anyway. Filing on time eliminates the larger failure-to-file penalty and shrinks the balance that keeps accruing interest.