With tax season in full swing, now is the time when companies like Turbotax or H&R Block start bombarding your inbox with advertisements for “free” tax return services. The only problem is that often when you click through the ad for “free” services, they aren’t actually free. These companies often start your return for free, have you fill in all pertinent information with their software, and then, at the very end of the process, they charge a fee to actually file the tax return. At this point, if you’re like most people, you’ve already invested enough of your time that you give in and pay whatever fee the company asks for so you can finish your tax return.

Luckily, you have other options! If you made less than $64,000 in 2016 there are several ways to file your taxes online and pay absolutely nothing. Through the IRS.gov website you can access several free options of brand name tax preparation software. Click here to choose from a list of brand name tax preparation software. 

These free services are available due to a partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, a group of industry-leading private-sector tax preparation companies that have agreed to provide free commercial online tax preparation and electronic filing. Click here to read more about the IRS partnership with Free File Alliance.

Happy filing!