Though some social media users interpreted Elon Musk's X post as meaning the service was closed, its website remained active as of Feb. 7.

IRS Direct File is back again this year with significantly expanded eligibility despite confusion over whether Elon Musk had “deleted” it. (He didn’t.)

In early February 2025, claims emerged that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk, had terminated, or planned to terminate, a program — Direct File — run by the IRS that allows (some) citizens to file individual tax returns for free:

IRS Free File program at IRS.gov offers free tax software to those with adjusted gross incomes of $84,000 or less. Other free programs exist, too.

The IRS program, called Direct File, allows eligible folks to file their federal taxes directly with the IRS. Another program called WisTax allows the free filing of state taxes online also.

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk posted Monday on his social media site that he had “deleted” 18F, a government agency that worked on technology projects such as the IRS’ Direct File program. This led to some confusion about whether Direct File is still available to taxpayers,

Tax season can be stressful from gathering all the required documents to finding a trusted place to file. Here are some options for filing for free.

Did the world’s richest man “delete” a free federal tax service that just became available to NJ residents? Here’s what we know so far.

In a post on X, unelected government official Elon Musk revealed that he has cut the staff of the Internal Revenue Service that oversaw the system that allows Americans to file their taxes for free easily on its website.

This should be a banner year for taxpayers seeking free tax-preparation. But one key IRS program is under fire.