The Internal Revenue Service launched a pilot program last year that allows people to file their taxes directly with the federal government for free. This project is known as Direct File and has since expanded to 25 states.

The Internal Revenue Service is accepting tax returns for tax season 2025, including through the expanded Direct File program. Why it matters: There's been some confusion on the status of the free online tax-filing program after Elon Musk posted on X Monday that he had "deleted" 18F,

The IRS’ free tax-preparation program remains a free option for taxpayers this year, but the fate of a group of government technologists that helped develop it is less certain.

Elon Musk wrote on X on Monday that 18F, the digital consulting team who developed the IRS Direct File system, had been deleted.

Elon Musk stirred up confusion over the status of the IRS’s Direct File program when he reposted a description of it and said he “deleted” it. “That group has been deleted,” Musk posted on X. However,

That’s because Kansas is one of 25 states now allowing taxpayers to file their federal taxes directly to the Internal Revenue Service free of charge. The IRS’ direct file is for anyone whose worked in any of the participating states for all of 2024. If you only worked in Kansas for part of 2024, you wouldn’t be eligible.

Missouri is not among the states where a free, easy tax filing method is available, and some elected officials are fighting to keep it that way.

Tax season in America began Jan. 27, according to the Internal Revenue Service. This year, the IRS announced that direct filing will be available for 25 states this year including New Jersey. Filers just have to wait on their tax documents,

Tax season can be stressful from gathering all the required documents to finding a trusted place to file. Here are some options for filing for free.