Updated October 24, 2026. Quick answer: Treasury’s October 2, 2025 report to Congress says “The report announces that the IRS will suspend Direct File.” The IRS releases that opened the 2026 season name Free File, Free File Fillable Forms, VITA, TCE and MilTax and do not name Direct File. Nothing for 2027 has been announced.
What is not yet announced
The IRS has not published a 2027 Direct File page that this site could read. The status on this page is therefore the one in the Treasury report, which is dated October 2, 2025 and was written for Congress under section 70607 of Public Law 119-21. If the IRS posts a different 2027 status, it replaces this page’s summary.
What the Treasury report says
The report describes the program’s history and size in its own words:
| Item | Treasury report |
|---|---|
| Pilot, tax year 2023 | “Direct File was available to taxpayers in 12 states.” |
| Tax year 2024 | “For tax year 2024, Direct File was available to taxpayers in 25 states” |
| Returns filed through it, tax year 2024 | “a total of 296,531 returns had been filed by users and accepted by the IRS.” |
| Share of all returns | “returns submitted using Direct File constituted less than 0.5 percent of the approximately 146 million returns filed.” |
| Pilot cost, tax year 2023 | “the IRS reports having spent at least $31.8 million” |
| Cost reported by Treasury | “Direct File had a cost to the federal budget of at least $41 million for tax year 2024 returns” |
| Cost per return, tax year 2024 | “$138.27 per return filed using Direct File” |
The same report recommends “refocusing IRS efforts on strengthening existing free filing programs, particularly Free File”.
What the 2026 IRS releases list instead
The IRS news release that opened the 2026 season lists “IRS Free File”, “Free File Fillable Forms” and the volunteer programs “Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly”. Its Tax Tip of January 29, 2026 adds MilTax. Direct File does not appear in either document. That is a statement about those two documents, not a ruling on 2027.
The Free File details, with the IRS figures, are on the IRS Free File 2027 page.
Planning for 2027
For a 2027 filing, plan on a filing option that the IRS currently lists, and check the IRS site when the season opens. The options the IRS lists for the 2026 season are covered on the IRS Free File 2027 page, and the refund tracker is covered on the Where’s My Refund page.
Common mistakes
- Waiting for Direct File to reopen. The report this page reads says the IRS will suspend it, and no 2027 notice has been announced.
- Reading the 2026 releases as a statement about 2027. They cover the 2026 season only.
- Using a look-alike site. The IRS says to access Free File only through IRS.gov,.
Related: IRS Free File for 2027, when you can file taxes in 2027, the 2027 tax numbers, and the 2027 Form 1040 due date.
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Answer againSources
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, Report on the Replacement of Direct File (Report to Congress, 2 Oct 2025): home.treasury.gov
- Internal Revenue Service, IRS opens 2026 filing season (IR-2026-12, 26 Jan 2026): www.irs.gov
- Internal Revenue Service, 2026 tax filing season opens with several free filing options available (Tax Tip 2026-08, 29 Jan 2026): www.irs.gov
Read from the IRS and Treasury documents linked above on October 24, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer or the IRS itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.