Free File: About the Free File Alliance

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About the Free File Alliance

The Free File Alliance is a nonprofit coalition of industry-leading tax software companies partnered with the IRS to provide free electronic tax preparation and filing through the IRS Free File program.

IRS Free File, only available through the IRS website, is a public-private partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance. This partnership requires joint responsibility and collaboration between the federal government and private industry to be successful.

About the Free File agreement

The IRS Free File program is a multi-year agreement between IRS and the Free File Alliance, created to:

  • Offer free electronic tax filing preparation and filing with trusted partners through IRS.gov
  • Make it easier for taxpayers to prepare and file a federal tax return
  • Give free governmental services to people who can’t afford tax preparation services

Why we’re partnering with private companies

IRS Free File brings the best tax resources to the public. The IRS doesn’t endorse any individual Free File Alliance company.

While we manage the IRS Free File content on IRS.gov, we don’t keep any taxpayer information entered on the Free File site.

How IRS Free File is different from other free e-filing services

IRS Free File services can only be accessed through IRS.gov/freefile. In a single location, taxpayers can choose to prepare and file taxes with tax software companies that are members of the Free File Alliance.

There’s no cost to qualifying taxpayers to prepare and e-file a federal tax return with IRS Free File.

Why the Free File Alliance was formed

In November 2001, the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Quicksilver Task Force established 24 e-government initiatives under the President's management agenda. These initiatives were designed to improve government-to-government, government-to-business and government-to-citizen electronic services.

One initiative, IRS Free File, instructed the IRS to provide free, secure electronic tax return preparation and filing services to taxpayers. To meet this OMB directive, the IRS partnered with the tax software industry to develop a solution. The result was the formation of the Free File Alliance, LLC.

Current IRS Free File agreement, memorandum of understanding and addenda

Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 22-May-2024