(Nexstar)—Tax season is back, which means it’s time to gather your W-2 and form Form 1098s, and Form 1099s and start filing. While there are a slew of tax services and professionals that can help you file a claim, you may be eligible to use a new tax preparation program from the Internal Revenue Service.
Launched last year, Direct File aims to give you step-by-step help and live support—all for free.
Initially, the IRS only made the Instant File available to government employees in 12 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington State and Wyoming. It was later made available to private sector taxpayers.
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Instant File is now available in 13 more states: Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The program also covers more tax situations this year, the IRS explains. In addition to the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Other Dependents Credit, taxpayers using Direct File can also claim the Child and Dependent Care Credit, Premium Tax Credit, Elderly and Disabled Credit, and Retirement Savings Contribution credits.
Available deductions include those for student loan interest and parenting expenses, as well as deductions for health savings accounts and the standard deduction.
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If you live in one of the eligible states, you can access Instant File online via your phone, laptop, tablet or desktop computer when it becomes available on January 27. The service also offers a live chat feature, in English and Spanish, with assistance from IRS customer service representatives.
Unfortunately, if you are looking for additional credits or deductions or have a more complex filing status, you may not be able to use the direct file program. You may still qualify for a free tax preparation program through the IRS Free File Program. The agency has partnered with eight tax software companies to provide eligible taxpayers — those with an adjusted gross income of $84,000 or less — free federal tax filing services online.
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Free File and Instant File may not cover your state taxes. Some tax software companies involved in Free File can provide state tax preparation and filing. According to the IRS, the Direct File program will provide users with “tools to complete their tax returns.” In some cases, the direct file may be able to transfer data already entered into the state tax preparation tool.
According to the IRS, most tax refunds are issued in less than 21 days. You can track your refund on the IRS’s “Where’s My Refund?” Tools within 24 hours of e-failing. If you file a paper return, you can expect your refund information to be available after approximately four weeks of filing.
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