Americans are expected to submit more than $160 million in income tax returns to the IRS before the April 15 deadline this year. And while many will pay to prepare their taxes, some savvy taxpayers will file those 1040s for free.
One of the most popular tax software providers is TurboTax, owned by Intuit. This year, DIY taxpayers can get a limited-time, app-only deal for all tax situations or use TurboTax Free Edition, which only includes simple tax returns.
Read on to learn more about using TurboTax to file your taxes for free in 2026.
Is TurboTax free?
TurboTax is free all season for people who have a simple 1040 tax return with no special circumstances and don’t elect any add-ons. (See below for details.) Historically, however, there has been controversy about whether TurboTax’s “free” offerings were really free.
Intuit announced in 2021 that it has chosen not to renew its participation in IRS Free File, an independent public initiative that allows certain taxpayers to access tax preparation for free. Although TurboTax has been part of the IRS’s free file system since its launch in 2003, the company withdrew, citing “limitations within the program and conflicting interests of those outside the program.”
It was not a smooth exit. The ruling came a few years after ProPublica published a story alleging that TurboTax used code to purposefully hide its IRS Free File product from Google and other search engines. (After the article went live, Intuit changed the code.)
In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission filed a formal complaint accusing Intuit of running deceptive ads that tricked people into thinking doing their taxes with TurboTax was free, only to learn at the end of the process — “after investing time and effort to collect and enter into TurboTax their personal and financial information” — that they had received paid assistance.
Then, in 2024, the FTC legally prohibited Intuit from advertising anything as free “unless it is free to all consumers or discloses clearly and conspicuously and closely the claim of ‘free’ to a percentage of taxpayers or eligible consumers.” Intuit appealed, saying in a statement to Money 2025 that “over the past 11 years, we’ve helped more than 130 million Americans file their taxes for free — more than all other tax preparation software companies combined.” It added that it “has always been clear, fair and transparent to its customers and is committed to free tax preparation.”
Can I file my 2025 taxes for free with TurboTax?
Yes. TurboTax Free Edition is live this season, though it’s only intended for simple 1040 returns, meaning you don’t file any additional forms or schedules other than those required for the earned income tax credit, student loan interest deduction and child tax credit. Schedule 1-A (which includes “no tax on overtime,” “no tax on tips,” car loan interest and “high bonus”) is also eligible — but, in general, you’ll just need to have W-2 income and take standard deductions to qualify for TurboTax Free Edition.
TurboTax Free Edition charges $0 for easy federal filing and $0 for easy state filing. You can start your recovery for free.
If your financial situation is more difficult, you may want to check out the company’s DIY Free Mobile App Offer. At the end of the month, customers who didn’t use TurboTax last year can file state and federal returns for free using the TurboTax or Credit Karma mobile app. Any tax status is fine for this DIY deal, but your taxes must be filed by 11:59 pm ET on Feb. 28 to qualify.
Want to upgrade? Paid options include TurboTax Expert Assist, which lets you ask questions of experts and have them review your return for accuracy before you file. Costs range from $39 to $159 for federal reimbursement, and $39 to $49 for state.
Full Professional Service, where a tax professional does your full state and federal taxes for you, costs $150 through Feb. 28 as long as you didn’t have a professional file for your TurboTax last year. If you did, the price ranges from $89 to $129.
Keep in mind that these prices are likely to change as tax season progresses, so you may want to move if one catches your eye.
Why isn’t TurboTax free?
Not all TurboTax products are free because they are business.
TurboTax is owned by Intuit, a public company. Intuit says it brought in $3.9 billion in revenue for the first half of the company’s 2026 fiscal year, which ended Oct. 31.
On its website, TurboTax has a frequently asked questions section that addresses the question of “how does TurboTax make money?” Answer: “We want our customers to love our products and services. Because we have customers who pay for our premium products and services, we can offer free tax filing to many customers.”
Who gets TurboTax for free?
Intuit says about 37% of taxpayers are eligible to use TurboTax’s DIY Free Edition, which is intended for filing simple Form 1040 returns only.
TurboTax Online products are also free if you are an active member or reserve enlisted rank in the US military. If you receive a W-2 from the Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS), you generally qualify for free state and federal tax prep with TurboTax’s Military Discount, whether you choose free, deluxe or premium services. (Discount does not apply to TurboTax Professional or TurboTax desktop products.)
See more information on the TurboTax website.
Other ways to file your taxes for free in 2026
Taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $89,000 or less in 2025 are eligible for IRS Free File, which provides free guided tax preparation from one of eight named companies. Above that income limit, you can access Free Filed Forms, which are unguided and require additional tax information.
IRS Direct File, an initiative that allowed taxpayers living and working in 25 states by 2024 to file state taxes online directly with the IRS, has been shut down.
President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act directed the government to create a task force to determine whether to replace Direct File, including “costs to develop and establish public-private partnerships,” “opinions and preferences about a taxpayer-funded, government-run or free service provided by the private sector” and the feasibility of this approach. As a result, the IRS Direct File program — which had long faced opposition from Republican legislative officials — is now “gone,” as then-IRS Commissioner Bill Long reportedly said in July.
However, you may be able to find other ways to send your taxes without paying. TurboTax competitors such as H&R Block, FreeTaxUSA and Cash App Taxes have free software available online. Some Chime, Acorns Gold, Robinhood and PayPal debit card customers can also access free tax preparation by working with April, an AI-powered tax engine.
That said, experts discourage you from using AI to do your taxes completely DIY this year.
More from Mali:
Why Millions of Taxpayers Could Get Big Refunds This Year
Here are the 2025 and 2026 Income Tax Brackets
When Are Taxes Due?
