Free Tax Filing | Free File - Consumer Reports

Options abound, regardless of your income

Published: February 2013

If you want guidance when preparing your federal tax form and your household’s 2012 adjusted gross income was $57,000 or less, you can prepare and file your federal return free through IRS Free File. To participate, you must file through a company listed as an "e-file partner" in the Free File section of the IRS website. Before going to IRS Free File, though, check the website of the taxing authority in your state to see how to qualify for free preparation and filing of your state income tax return. You may have to start there first to get everything for free. In New York State, for instance, eligible taxpayers must start at the state’s free filing web page to be linked to the appropriate software, which then handles both state and federal returns for free.

If your income is above the $57,000 ceiling, you can still prepare and file using free tax-prep options outside of IRS Free File. Among the major online tax-prep companies, TaxACT offers the widest array of IRS forms and schedules that can be prepared and filed for free. TurboTax and H&R Block At Home offer free preparation and filing of basic IRS forms, including Form 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ. Two other major players, e-Smart Tax (formerly CompleteTax) and TaxSlayer, offer free prep and filing only of the simplest, 1040EZ forms. TaxSlayer also offers a free federal version for all active duty members of the military; it says its military version supports "all major forms and schedules."

If you don't need help filling out your forms, the IRS now offers free, "fillable" electronic versions of Forms 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ to all taxpayers, regardless of income. They are available through the Free File section of the IRS website.