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.

Americans who are looking for the speediest possible refund for the 2024 tax year can get started today with the official opening of tax season. Today (Monday, January 27, 2025) is the first day that you can file your tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

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,

In a post on X, unelected government official Elon Musk revealed that he has cut the staff of the Internal Revenue Service that oversaw the system that allows Americans to file their taxes for free easily on its website.

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.

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,

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk posted on his social media site that he has “deleted” 18F, a government agency that worked on technology projects such as the IRS’s Direct File program