The IRS reportedly has a free TurboTax alternative in the works<p>Doing your taxes in the United States can be famously convoluted. It can also be expensive: on top of paying their tax bills, Americans who have more complicated finances often have to pay for software to help them navigate the US tax code. That might change soon: a <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/05/15/irs-free-file/">report from the Washington Post[/url] says that the Internal Revenue Services is preparing to roll out a free direct filing system that will allow Americans to complete their taxes digitally.</p><p>The first version of the direct filing system could be available as soon as next year, according to the report, with a pilot program launching for a small group of taxpayers in January of 2024. That would arrive just a year after the IRS publicly started exploring the option, when the tax agency tapped the New America think tank <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="
https://www.taxnotes.com/featured-news/irs-picks-think-tank-law-professor-examine-e-file-system/2023/02/08/7fy4w">to help explore the feasibility of an agency-run filing program[/url]. That effort was kicked off in February of this year, after the Inflation Reduction Act earmarked $15 million to the IRS to research a "multi-lingual and mobile-friendly" free direct e-file system.</p><span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>That focus on a user-friendly system might be the point. The IRS already offers a Free File Online tool, but according to the Government Accountability Offices, it's <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105236#:~:text=IRS%20and%20a%20consortium%20of,than%203%25%20of%20taxpayers%20do.">used by less than 3% of eligible taxpayers[/url]. If the program is a success, it could make filing taxes easier and more affordable for millions of Americans. If not? Well, TurboTax and H&R Block probably aren't going anywhere. After all, the US tax prep and filing industry is still worth about $14 billion.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/the-irs-reportedly-has-a-free-turbotax-alternative-in-the-works-191527170.html?src=rssSource:
The IRS reportedly has a free TurboTax alternative in the works
