Ways to file your own return

We do not rank the ways to file, pick a winner, or say which is cheapest. We list what the official documentation states, in a fixed order, and leave the choice with you.

We describe pricing models rather than printing prices. A stale price shown to someone mid-decision is worse than no price, so exact amounts are deliberately withheld and you should check the operator's own page.

Nothing on this page is sponsored, tracked or paid for. There is no affiliate link, no lead form and no phone number in this centre.

The ways to file we have read about

Cash App Taxes

• What it is: commercial software, operated by Block, Inc.
• Availability: the official documentation states this. Operator documentation describes a filing product presented at no cost, with stated situations it does not handle.
• Condition stated: The operator states situations it does not support, so some readers are excluded by the product itself.
• Condition stated: Use requires the operator's app.
• Cost model: no cost is stated for the route itself. The operator states no paid tier for filing. Exact amounts are withheld here on purpose.
• FORM 1040: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE E: the official documentation does not state this. The operator lists unsupported situations; readers with rental facts should check directly.
• State returns: the official documentation does not state this. The operator states limits on multiple-state situations; no general promise is recorded.

FreeTaxUSA

• What it is: commercial software, operated by FreeTaxUSA.
• Availability: the official documentation states this. Operator documentation describes an online federal filing product.
• Condition stated: No income ceiling is stated for the federal product.
• Condition stated: Some situations are handled through paid add-ons rather than the base product.
• Cost model: no charge stated for the federal return, with a charge for a state return. The base federal return is presented as free, with paid state filing and optional add-ons offered alongside it. Exact amounts are withheld here because prices change between seasons. Exact amounts are withheld here on purpose.
• What can push the cost up: Filing a state return, which the operator charges for separately.
• What can push the cost up: Optional add-ons such as extra support or audit assistance.
• What can push the cost up: Amended or prior-year returns, which are handled as separate products.
• FORM 1040: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE B: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE C: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE D: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE E: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE SE: the official documentation states this.
• FORM 1040 X: the official documentation states this.
• FORM 8962: the official documentation does not state this.
• State returns: the official documentation states this. State returns are offered as a separately charged product.

TaxAct

• What it is: commercial software, operated by TaxAct.
• Availability: the official documentation states this. Operator documentation describes online federal filing products.
• Condition stated: Tier fit depends on which components the return needs.
• Cost model: paid tiers that step up with what the return contains. Tiers escalate with return complexity. Exact amounts are withheld here because they change between seasons. Exact amounts are withheld here on purpose.
• What can push the cost up: Return components that sit in a higher tier.
• What can push the cost up: State filing.
• FORM 1040: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE C: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE D: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE E: the official documentation states this.
• State returns: the official documentation does not state this. Not stated in the retrieved documentation.

TurboTax

• What it is: commercial software, operated by Intuit.
• Availability: the official documentation states this. Operator documentation describes online federal filing products.
• Condition stated: Free-tier eligibility is limited to situations the operator defines, not to all readers.
• Cost model: a free tier, with paid tiers above it. A free tier for simple returns with paid tiers presented as the return gains components. Exact amounts are withheld here because they change between seasons. Exact amounts are withheld here on purpose.
• What can push the cost up: Return components outside the free tier, such as self-employment or rental schedules.
• What can push the cost up: Adding assisted or expert-review services.
• What can push the cost up: State filing.
• FORM 1040: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE B: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE C: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE D: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE E: the official documentation states this.
• FORM 8949: the official documentation states this.
• State returns: the official documentation does not state this. The retrieved form list does not state general state-return terms.

Free File Fillable Forms

• What it is: irs fillable forms, operated by IRS.
• Availability: the official documentation states this. The IRS states this option is available with no income limit and performs only basic calculations.
• Condition stated: No income ceiling is stated.
• Condition stated: The reader does their own work: the tool does not interview them or check their reasoning.
• Cost model: free for people the programme's conditions cover. None. There is no paid tier. Exact amounts are withheld here on purpose.
• FORM 1040: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE C: the official documentation does not state this. Form availability is published per season and is not asserted here.
• State returns: the official documentation states this. The IRS states Fillable Forms does not handle state returns.

IRS Free File guided software

• What it is: an IRS programme delivered by partner companies, operated by IRS, delivered through partner companies.
• Availability: the official documentation states this. The IRS states this program exists and is delivered through partner companies whose individual offers differ.
• Condition stated: Adjusted gross income must be at or below the ceiling the IRS states on the Free File page for the filing season.
• Condition stated: Each partner sets its own additional conditions, so eligibility for the program is not eligibility for a given partner offer.
• Condition stated: Whether a reader meets the ceiling depends on their own figures and is not decided here.
• Cost model: free for people the programme's conditions cover. The IRS-side program is free when eligible; partners may present paid products alongside the free offer. Exact amounts are withheld here on purpose.
• What can push the cost up: Using a partner outside the Free File entry point, where the free terms may not apply.
• What can push the cost up: State return handling, which some partners do not include.
• FORM 1040: the official documentation states this.
• SCHEDULE C: the official documentation does not state this. Partner offers vary, and the IRS page states no schedule-level guarantee.
• State returns: the official documentation does not state this. The IRS states partner state offers vary; no general state promise is made.

IRS Direct File

• What it is: irs government program, operated by IRS.
• Availability: we could not retrieve the official documentation for this. We could not retrieve an official IRS page on Direct File's status for the 2026 filing season, so its availability is NOT_VERIFIED. We do not say it is available, and we do not say it has ended.
• Condition stated: No eligibility condition is claimed while availability is unverified.
• Cost model: the documentation does not state a pricing structure. Not stated. Exact amounts are withheld here on purpose.
• State returns: we could not retrieve the official documentation for this. Not verified.

Paper filing by post

• What it is: filing on paper, operated by The taxpayer.
• Availability: the official documentation states this. The IRS continues to accept paper returns.
• Condition stated: No eligibility condition. Processing takes longer than e-filing.
• Cost model: no cost is stated for the route itself. None. Exact amounts are withheld here on purpose.
• State returns: the official documentation does not state this. Each state sets its own paper filing rules.

An authorised tax professional

• What it is: professional preparer, operated by Independent credentialed preparers.
• Availability: the official documentation states this. The IRS states taxpayers may have a return prepared and e-filed by an authorised provider.
• Condition stated: No eligibility condition.
• Condition stated: Choosing to self-file is never a statement that professional help is unnecessary.
• Cost model: the documentation does not state a pricing structure. Set independently by each preparer. Exact amounts are withheld here on purpose.
• State returns: the official documentation does not state this. Depends on the preparer.

VITA and TCE free preparation sites

• What it is: volunteer preparation program, operated by IRS-sponsored volunteer programs.
• Availability: the official documentation states this. The IRS states qualifying taxpayers can have a return prepared free by trained volunteers.
• Condition stated: Qualification turns on stated conditions including income, disability, limited English proficiency, and age for the TCE programme.
• Condition stated: Site availability is local and seasonal.
• Condition stated: Some situations are outside what volunteer sites handle.
• Cost model: free for people the programme's conditions cover. None. Exact amounts are withheld here on purpose.
• FORM 1040: the official documentation states this.
• State returns: the official documentation does not state this. Varies by site; no general statement is made.

What we are not saying

Sources

• IRS Free File: file your federal taxes online for freeInternal Revenue Service. Read for: Establishes the Free File guided-software program, its adjusted gross income eligibility ceiling as stated on the page, and that partner offers vary. Read on 2026-08-16.
• Free File Fillable FormsInternal Revenue Service. Read for: Establishes that Fillable Forms exists with no income limit, performs only basic calculations, and does not support state returns. Read on 2026-08-16.
• E-file options for individual taxpayersInternal Revenue Service. Read for: Establishes the canonical set of federal filing routes: free guided software, Fillable Forms, commercial software, and an authorised preparer. Read on 2026-08-16.
• Free tax return preparation for qualifying taxpayers (VITA and TCE)Internal Revenue Service. Read for: Establishes free IRS-sponsored preparation for qualifying taxpayers, and that eligibility turns on stated conditions such as income, disability, limited English, and age for TCE. Read on 2026-08-16.
• FreeTaxUSA pricingFreeTaxUSA. Read for: Operator documentation establishing the free-federal, fee-for-state pricing MODEL and its optional paid add-ons. Exact amounts are withheld by policy. Read on 2026-08-16.
• FreeTaxUSA supported federal formsFreeTaxUSA. Read for: Operator form list establishing which federal schedules the product states it supports. Read on 2026-08-16.
• TurboTax IRS forms and schedulesIntuit TurboTax. Read for: Operator form list establishing stated support for federal schedules. Read on 2026-08-16.
• Cash App Taxes — supported forms and situationsCash App Taxes. Read for: Operator documentation establishing a no-cost-stated model and the situations the product states it does not handle. Read on 2026-08-16.
• TaxAct forms and schedulesTaxAct. Read for: Operator form list establishing stated support for federal schedules. Read on 2026-08-16.

Where to go next

Educational information only. This is not tax advice, we are not your tax preparer, and nothing here is a determination about your own return. Check the linked official sources, and consider a professional for anything that turns on your specific facts.