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.

Last year the Internal Revenue Service launched a program that allowed some tax filers to file their returns directly to the IRS. It was available when the 2025 filing started this year, but a social media post from Elon Musk caused some confusion over whether it was still available.

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.

IRS Free File program at IRS.gov offers free tax software to those with adjusted gross incomes of $84,000 or less. Other free programs exist, too.

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 online program Direct File is now open for business and accepting tax returns. Here's what to know.

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.

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,

Though some social media users interpreted Elon Musk's X post as meaning the service was closed, its website remained active as of Feb. 7.