Internal Revenue Service offers free online filing service for taxpayers

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - For the last 20 years, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has offered IRS Free File, a service where taxpayers can prepare their federal returns, and sometimes even their state returns, at no cost.

According to IRS Spokesperson David Tucker II, “The IRS partners with a lot of private tax software vendors, and what they do is they provide their tax software for free for those who meet the eligibility.”

Anyone who made less than $73,000 in 2021 qualifies. “A lot of American taxpayers fall into the category of having access to that,” said Tucker.

The whole process can happen online, or on a mobile phone. The IRS strongly encourages taxpayers to file online. Tucker explained, “There’s a huge benefit to that in a number of ways. That tax software... what it will do is to help you identify certain deductions and potential credits that you may be eligible for that you’re not aware of.”

Online filing is also more accurate, according to Tucker. “We find that with electronically filed tax returns, the error rate is less than 1%, whereas with paper returns that error rate can be up to 20%.”

It also helps to have the refund deposited directly into a bank account.

Tucker said even if someone didn’t make enough money in 2021 to have to file taxes, they may still be eligible for a refund, adding, “That’s why we encourage those, especially this year, who do not have a filing requirement, to consider doing so.”

The deadline to file a 2021 tax return is Monday, April 18.

More information can be found here.

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