Tax Tip 2023-16: Eligible seniors should take advantage of free filing options this tax season

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent this bulletin at 02/08/2023 10:29 AM EST

IRS Tax Tips

February 8, 2023

Issue Number: Tax Tip 2023-16

Eligible seniors should take advantage of free filing options this tax season

Seniors and retirees who want to file their taxes for free or find free in-person tax help can look at a few programs available for eligible taxpayers.

In-person IRS help for seniors and low-income taxpayers
Eligible taxpayers can also have their taxes prepared in person for free, through these two programs:

Tax Counseling for the Elderly - The TCE program prioritizes taxpayers aged 60 and older. TCE specializes in questions about pensions and retirement-related issues unique to seniors.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance - The VITA program is generally for people who make $60,000 or less, people with disabilities and limited English-speaking taxpayers.

Taxpayers can go to the IRS Free Tax Preparation page of IRS.gov and use the available site locator tools to find a TCE or VITA site near them.

IRS Free File

Many seniors and retirees can file their taxes for free with IRS Free File, available at gov/FreeFile. The program offers online tax preparation software for taxpayers with income of $73,000 or less in 2022.
Through this program, a public-private partnership between IRS and the Free File Inc, leading tax software providers make their online products available for free. This year, there are seven products in English and one in Spanish.
Each IRS Free File partner sets its own eligibility standards based on income, age and state residency. Taxpayers can browse each of the offers or use the IRS Free File Lookup Tool to find the right product for them.
The program software supports the most common forms that can be filed electronically, including the Form 1040-SR for seniors over the age of 65.
Program providers also offer state income tax return preparation, some for free and some for a fee. Taxpayers can use the lookup tool to find the right state product.
All program products are enabled for mobile devices so taxpayers can use their smart phone or tablet to do their taxes.

Free File Fillable Forms
While IRS Free File has an income cutoff, taxpayers with income over $73,000 can use Free File Fillable Forms. Fillable Forms don’t include guided preparation, so taxpayers need to be comfortable completing their own tax forms.

Certain veterans can use MilTax
MilTax online software is available to certain veterans, regardless of income, and is offered through the Department of Defense. MilTax allows eligible taxpayers to prepare and file their federal income tax returns and up to three state income tax returns for free.

Share this tip on social media -- #IRSTaxTip: Eligible seniors should take advantage of free filing options this tax season. http://ow.ly/ofwR50MKYpP

Thank you for subscribing to IRS Tax Tips, an IRS e-mail service. For more information on federal taxes please visit IRS.gov.

This message was distributed automatically from the IRS Tax Tips mailing list. Please Do Not Reply To This Message.

Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com.

This service is provided to you at no charge by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Tax Tip 2023-16: Eligible seniors should take advantage of free filing options this tax season

Useful Links:

News Essentials

The Newsroom Topics

IRS Resources

Issue Number: Tax Tip 2023-16