Where to File State and Federal Taxes for Free
This is officially tax season. The IRS will begin processing individual tax returns on Monday, January 27th, which means you have a few weeks to get things organized.
Unless you own a business, do not have multiple sources of income, do not have a ton of deductions or complex investments, there is no need to hire a specialist to pay taxes for you – the free online software is enough (and you must file electronically: according to the IRS (The error rate for paper returns is 21 percent compared to half a percent for electronic returns). And any applicant earning $ 69,000 or less per year has access to free tax filing software.
Finding Free File programs should be made a little easier this year thanks to an agreement announced by the IRS in December. This agreement prohibits Free File members from hiding their free options from search results.
Here are some of your free 2019 state and federal tax filing options for free:
- Credit Karma : unlimited.
- H&R Block Free File : under 50 years of age and your AGI does not exceed $ 69,000, or you are eligible for Earned Income Tax Credit.
- Intuit TurboTax Free File : AGI of $ 36,000 or less or you are eligible for Earned Income Tax Credit.
- Online Taxes : AGI of $ 69,000 or less.
- TaxAct : under the age of 56 and your AGI is less than $ 59,000, or you are eligible for an Earned Income Credit.
For all programs listed above, the AGI limit is $ 69,000 if you are in active duty.
There are several other programs that offer free federal tax returns but only offer free tax returns for certain states. You can find a complete list or IRS-approved free file options here .
If your AGI is over $ 69,000, you can use the IRS’s free fillable federal filing forms. It won’t walk you through the entire process like low-income people do, but it does the math for you and the files for free.
In addition, if you are earning $ 56,000 or less, have a disability, or speak little English, and need help, you may qualify for the IRS Volunteer Tax Assistance Program , where IRS-certified volunteers provide free tax training. The IRS Senior Tax Counseling Program is similar, but specializes in “pension and retirement issues that are specific to seniors only.”
State income tax
Find filing options for your state here:
Alabama , Arkansas , Arizona , California , Colorado , Connecticut , Georgia , Hawaii , Idaho, Illinois , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky , Louisiana , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , Michigan , Minnesota , Mississippi , Missouri , New- montana , Nebraska Jersey , New Mexico , New York , North Carolina , North Dakota , Ohio , Oklahoma , Oregon , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , South Carolina , Utah , Vermont , Virginia , Washington, DC , West Virginia , Wisconsin
There is no income tax in these states, but residents must pay tax on dividends and investment income:
New Hampshire and Tennessee .
These states have no income tax: Arkansas, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.
This post was originally published in 2019 and has been updated on 1/13/2020 to reflect current information.