WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service announced today an extension of the current Free File program through 2029 following an agreement that will continue to make the free private-sector tax software available to taxpayers.

The five-year extension agreement between the IRS and Free File Inc. will continue the program through October 2029.

Free File is a public-private partnership between the IRS and several tax preparation software companies who provide their online tax preparation and filing software for free. Through this partnership, tax preparation and filing software providers make their online products available to eligible taxpayers. The program is only available on IRS.gov.

This year, Free File saw an increase of about 200,000 tax returns filed through the program, reaching 2.9 million returns as of May 11. That’s an increase of 7.3% from the 2.7 million filed through the same period last year.

“Free File remains an important part of the IRS portfolio to help taxpayers file their taxes for free,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “We were pleased to see growth in the program this year, and we look forward to continuing this important collaboration with the tax software industry. Free File was part of a successful filing season at the IRS that saw increased interest in a range of free programs to help taxpayers.”

Now in its 22nd filing season, taxpayers across the nation can access free software products provided by IRS Free File trusted partners by visiting IRS.gov. Through this public-private partnership, tax preparation and filing software providers make their online products available to eligible taxpayers. Eight private-sector Free File partners provide online guided tax software products this year to any taxpayer with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $79,000 or less in 2023. In addition, those with an AGI over $79,000 can use the IRS's Free File Fillable Forms. Free access to online products is only available by starting from IRS Free File.

The IRS noted that Free File remains available on IRS.gov for taxpayers through the Oct. 15 extension deadline for 2023 tax returns.

“Free File has been an important partner with the IRS for more than two decades and helped tens of millions of taxpayers. This extension will continue that relationship into the future,” said Ken Corbin, chief of IRS Taxpayer Services. “This multi-year agreement will also provide certainty for private-sector partners to help with their future Free File planning.”

For 2024, partners participating in IRS Free File are:

• 1040Now
• Drake (1040.com)
• ezTaxReturn.com
• FileYourTaxes.com
• On-Line Taxes
• TaxAct
• TaxHawk (FreeTaxUSA)
• TaxSlayer

The IRS also saw interest this tax season in the Direct File pilot, which allowed taxpayers to file electronically directly with the IRS for the first time. Several hundred thousand taxpayers across 12 states signed up for Direct File accounts, and 140,803 taxpayers filed their federal tax returns using the new service.

The IRS also saw increased activity in free tax returns at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites, with 2.6 million returns prepared representing 200,000 more than a year ago.