Direct File has many limits, but nearly 19M people in 12 states may be eligible.

“Direct File provides a free, secure option for taxpayers with simple tax situations in 12 states to file their taxes directly with the IRS,” the Treasury Department said. “Direct File is easy to use, with no hidden junk fees, and works as well on a smartphone as it does on a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer. Direct File shows taxpayers the math so they can be sure that their return is accurate, and they are getting the refund they are entitled to.”

You can check whether you qualify to use the system at directfile.irs.gov. Based on the eligibility restrictions in the IRS program, the Treasury Department said it “estimates that one-third of all federal income tax returns filed could be prepared using Direct File.”

But there are many limits that would prevent taxpayers from using the system.

What you can and can’t file

  • stoyEnglish
    1472·
    4 months ago

    Meanwhile, here in Sweden everyone can logon to the tax authority’s website get a prefilled out form ans digitally sign it in 2 min total.

    This has been the norm for me the last 5 years, before that I used the preprinted tax form in the mail, I signed it and sent it back. Done.

    The US needs to make it easy and convenient to pay taxes.

    • livus@kbin.social
      49·
      4 months ago

      Eh, in New Zealand it’s been one click digital for a very long time too.

      I was told they don’t have modern tax forms accross the US because of lobbying from companies like Turbo Tax.

    • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.worldEnglish
      27·
      4 months ago

      In the US, I get to spend a few weeks stressing waiting for various forms to be mailed back, then spend 5 hours answering questions on a tax software, to finally get a result of how much i owe/should pay. Then I do it on one or two competitors to see if the math adds up, and most of the time it doesn’t.

      If I’m lucky, it’s only five hours.

    • asnaful@lemm.eeEnglish
      17·
      4 months ago

      In the UK, the vast majority of people in normal jobs don’t need to do anything as it is all dealt with by the employer. Only those with more complicated situations need to do anything, and even then it’s normally relatively painless.

      • stoyEnglish
        6·
        4 months ago

        Same here, unless you do something complicated, you don’t need to chabge anything

    • hubobes@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      4 months ago

      Not every country has the same relationship to their government. In Switzerland for example our government does not know what we own and have earned, we declare it ourselves. It is fully digital but still takes longer than 5 minutes (it usually takes me around 30 minutes with an income to declare as well a some stocks and other things).

      I guess the US has a similar relationship to their government.

    • PriorityMotif@lemmy.worldEnglish
      31·
      4 months ago

      It’s easy if you only have income from one job. If you have income from any other activities they will not have the information required. Things like rental property income, selling items on sites like Etsy requires inputting your expenses for those activities. Sites like eBay and Etsy will send you an income statement called a 1099. This includes all of the money for all of your transactions including shipping that you charged the customer. So you have to deduct your expenses from that amount, unless you want to pay taxes on money you didn’t actually earn. There are other items that count as deductions as well, including property tax deductions in certain states.

      • Fushuan [he/him]@lemm.eeEnglish
        4·
        4 months ago

        Here in a Spanish province the app had the correct information prefilled with my job changes, the stupid 50 euros I earned from the gamestop craze and all the special savings accounts that were dax deductible. I only had to add the special rent deduction (amount paid and % of that amount that’s was mine), and the app calculated the amount that I was to be deducted from that and my age.

        It’s great, in has an explanation of all the deductions, it lets you edit everything before submitting, and it’s free.

        • PriorityMotif@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          4 months ago

          That’s basically what free filing is in the US except you have to input your personal information and the information on the tax receipt called a W2 that you receive from your employer. They even call the basic tax form the 1040ez. Then that information automatically populates into your state tax form. Yes, we have to pay federal and state taxes separately.