Eligible California state taxpayers can now use free IRS Direct File
The IRS announced that eligible California state taxpayers can now use IRS Direct File, a new service that provides taxpayers with the choice to electronically file their federal tax return directly with the IRS for free.
Direct File is a mobile-friendly, interview-based service that will work as well on a mobile phone as it does on a laptop, tablet or desktop computer.
People in 12 states, including California, are eligible to participate in the 2024 Direct File pilot and will be limited to taxpayers with certain types of income, credits and deductions – taxpayers with relatively simple returns. This new service is available until the tax filing deadline of April 15, 2024.
“Direct File is a great new resource and additional option for California state taxpayers to use to file their federal tax return. And most importantly, it’s free,” said IRS spokesperson Yiliu Wang. “One of the first steps interested taxpayers should do is to check their eligibility and there is an easy tool on IRS.gov to do just that.”
Customer service
Taxpayers participating in the pilot can get help from IRS employees staffing the Direct File customer support function with live chat access. IRS customer service representatives can provide technical support and provide basic clarification of tax law related to the tax scope of Direct File. Questions related to issues other than Direct File will be routed to other IRS customer support, as appropriate.
Taxpayer Eligibility
Eligibility to participate in the Direct File pilot is limited to reporting only certain types of income and claiming limited credits and adjustments. It includes:
Income reporting
- W-2 wage income
- Social Security and railroad retirement income
- Unemployment compensation
- Interest of $1,500 or less
Credits
- Earned Income Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Credit for Other Dependents
Deductions
- Standard deduction
- Student loan interest
- Educator expenses
A new electronic filing option
Direct File does not replace existing filing options like tax professionals, IRS Free File, free return preparation sites, commercial software or authorized e-file providers. Taxpayers will continue to have choices, whether they want to use a tax professional, a software product, Free File, free tax preparation services like Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) as well as a paper tax return or Direct File.
Additional resources:
For more information about Direct File, check out the resources below:
Direct File | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)
Direct File pilot news | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)
A closer look at the IRS Direct File pilot | Internal Revenue Service
