Completely Free Tax Filing Options for EVERYONE (No Income Restrictions for 2025)
I was looking through some tax filing options and wanted to share what I found since a lot of people think they can only file for free if they make under $72K. There are actually several options that offer free filing for EVERYONE regardless of income: * MyFreeTaxes.com (United Way/TaxSlayer partnership) - Free federal AND state returns (up to 3 states) * Credit Karma Tax (owned by Square now) - Free federal and state filing (but only one state) * FreeTaxUSA - Free federal filing and around $15 for state returns (I found a discount code FREETAX15 that saves 15%) * Free Fillable Forms - Super basic but works if you know what you're doing (I'd double-check your math though) * AARP Tax-Aide - No age or income restrictions and you don't need to be a member For people who do meet income requirements, there's also: * IRS Free File - Both federal/state free if your AGI is under $73K * VITA - In-person volunteer help if you make under $60K * Virtual VITA - Similar but online if you make under $69K I refuse to use TurboTax because Intuit has actively lobbied against making taxes simpler for regular people. Just thought everyone should know their options before the 2025 filing season starts!
18 comments
Join the conversation
Aria Park
Tax professional here. This is really valuable information and I wish more people knew about these free filing options! A few additional tips: If you use MyFreeTaxes, make sure you go through the United Way portal and not directly to TaxSlayer, as the free offer is only through their partnership. Credit Karma Tax (now called Cash App Taxes) is completely free but doesn't support more complex situations like multiple state filings or foreign income reporting. FreeTaxUSA is my personal recommendation for most people - their interface is straightforward and they support almost all tax situations including self-employment. The $15 state fee is still much cheaper than the big commercial options. Free Fillable Forms is basically the electronic version of paper forms - there's minimal guidance, so only use this if you're comfortable with tax forms and calculations. AARP Tax-Aide locations can get very busy during tax season, so schedule an appointment early if you plan to use their services.
0 coins
Noah Ali
•What about people who are self-employed? Does FreeTaxUSA handle Schedule C forms for free or will they charge extra for that?
0 coins
Aria Park
•FreeTaxUSA handles Schedule C forms completely free on the federal return. They don't charge extra for any federal forms including self-employment, rental income, stock sales, or other more complex situations. The $15 fee only applies if you need to file a state return, and that price is the same regardless of complexity. It's one of the reasons I recommend them - they don't have tiered pricing that forces you to upgrade for common tax situations.
0 coins
Chloe Boulanger
I want to share my experience with taxr.ai which has been a game-changer for me this year. Last year I got super confused trying to figure out which free filing option would work for my situation (I have both W-2 and 1099 income), and ended up overpaying for a premium tax service. This year I found https://taxr.ai and it's amazing - you upload your tax documents and it analyzes them to tell you exactly which free filing option will work for your specific tax situation. It saved me from wasting time trying options that wouldn't work for my mixed income. The tool even explained which forms my situation required and matched me with the right free filing option.
0 coins
James Martinez
•Does it really work with all documents? Last year I had W-2s, 1099-NECs, investment 1099s, and mortgage interest statements. Most free options rejected me once they saw my investment income.
0 coins
Olivia Harris
•How does it protect your privacy? I'm nervous about uploading sensitive tax documents to random websites. Do they store your docs or just analyze and delete?
0 coins
Chloe Boulanger
•It works with pretty much all standard tax documents - W-2s, all types of 1099s, 1098s for mortgage interest, etc. The analysis actually tells you which forms each free filing option supports, so you won't waste time with options that will reject you later. For your situation with investment income, it would likely point you toward FreeTaxUSA since they don't restrict based on investment income. Regarding privacy, they use bank-level encryption and specifically state they don't store your actual tax documents after analysis. They just extract the needed information to make recommendations and then provide you direct links to the appropriate filing services. I was skeptical too but their privacy policy is pretty straightforward.
0 coins
Olivia Harris
After reading the suggestions here, I decided to try taxr.ai since I was unsure which free filing option would work for my situation. I have a W-2 job but also do some freelance work with 1099 income, plus some stock sales from last year. I was honestly amazed at how simple it was. Uploaded my documents, and within minutes it analyzed everything and told me that FreeTaxUSA would handle all my forms for free (federal) and $15 for state. It even gave me direct links to start my return. Saved me hours of research and prevented me from starting with options that would have eventually forced me to upgrade to paid versions once they discovered my investment income. Definitely recommend checking it out before you start filing this year!
0 coins
Alexander Zeus
If you're struggling to get help from the IRS about which filing option is best for you, I highly recommend Claimyr. I spent DAYS trying to get through to the IRS phone line this past filing season with questions about my eligibility for certain free file options. Found https://claimyr.com and it was worth every penny. They basically hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when an agent is about to answer. You can see a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I got through to an actual IRS representative in about 25 minutes instead of spending hours on hold or getting disconnected. The agent confirmed which free filing options would work for my specific situation and explained some deductions I qualified for.
0 coins
Alicia Stern
•How does this actually work? Are they somehow gaming the IRS phone system or do they have a special direct line?
0 coins
Gabriel Graham
•Yeah right. I find it hard to believe anything can get you through to the IRS faster. I spent literally 4 hours on hold last year and eventually got disconnected. Sounds like a scam to me.
0 coins
Alexander Zeus
•It uses an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and stays on hold for you. They don't have any special access - they're just handling the waiting part so you don't have to stay on the phone. When they detect a human agent is about to answer, you get a call to connect you directly with the agent. No, it's definitely not a scam. I was super skeptical too, which is why I tried it. I'd been disconnected twice after waiting over an hour each time. With Claimyr, I put in my request, went about my day, and got a call when an agent was ready. Saved me from wasting an entire afternoon on hold. It's just a time-saving service, not a way to skip the line or anything shady.
0 coins
Gabriel Graham
I need to apologize and correct myself. After my skeptical comment about Claimyr, I decided to try it myself since I needed to ask the IRS about how to handle some crypto transactions on my taxes and which free filing service could handle them. I was absolutely wrong - the service actually works exactly as described. I submitted my request around 8am, went to work, and got a call around 10:30am connecting me to an IRS agent. The agent was super helpful and confirmed that FreeTaxUSA could handle my crypto transactions without upgrading to a paid version. This saved me from taking time off work to sit on hold for hours. For anyone who needs specific answers from the IRS about their filing situation, this is definitely worth using. Sorry for doubting it!
0 coins
Drake
Don't forget about state-specific free file options too! Many states have their own free filing portals separate from the federal options. For example, I'm in California and we have CalFile which is completely free regardless of income. Check your state's tax department website to see if they offer direct free filing. Sometimes these state-specific options are easier to use than the federal ones if you have a simple return.
0 coins
Sarah Jones
•Do you know if New York has something similar? I've been paying $15 for state filing when using FreeTaxUSA and would love to save that money.
0 coins
Drake
•Yes, New York does have its own free filing program called NY Free File. You can access it through the NY Department of Taxation and Finance website. They partner with several tax software providers, and many New Yorkers qualify regardless of income level, depending on which software you use. For specific eligibility, visit the NY tax department website and look for their Free File program. This could save you that $15 state filing fee. Just make sure you access it directly through the official NY state tax website to ensure you get the free version.
0 coins
Sebastian Scott
What's the catch with Credit Karma Tax (Cash App Taxes now I guess)? I'm always suspicious when something is completely free with no income limits.
0 coins
Emily Sanjay
•They make money by recommending financial products to you based on your tax info (like credit cards, loans, etc). The tax service itself is legitimately free, but they're hoping you'll sign up for other services they get paid to promote.
0 coins