Washington — An independent review of the IRS’s free tax preparation partnership program recently affirmed the public benefits of the program. About 3 million people use the program each year and the study found that making it easier to find information about the program online would increase its utilization.
Free File is a public-private partnership that gives military personnel and those earning below $66,000 free access to the latest commercially developed tax preparation software free of charge. Free File started in 2003 and by 2016 it had served 40 million Americans, saving them over $1.3 billion in tax preparation costs.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association promotes the Free File program during tax season. Intuit, which produces TurboTax, is a member of CCIA. The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“This partnership enables access to software that is up to date on the latest tax breaks for those who need it most. This study both affirmed the value of the Free File partnership, and helped identify obstacles that prevent more people from learning about this opportunity. We hope all parties work together to address the concerns noted so more taxpayers utilize this successful program.”