It’s now the norm for Americans to file their taxes online — the IRS reports that more than 90 percent of individual tax returns were e-filed in 2023, the most recent data available. Even most professional tax preparers are required to electronically file returns on behalf of their clients.
If you file your own taxes, you have a few different options to file online, ranging from an entirely do-it-yourself, hands-on process to the guided experience offered by most tax software companies.
How to file your taxes online: 4 options
Most of us are going to file our taxes online no matter what, but there’s also a benefit to doing so: Filing online speeds up the time it takes to receive your refund. The IRS reports that more than 90 percent of tax refunds are sent out within 21 days.
And the good news is that many taxpayers qualify for free online filing, including access to free tax software that guides you through preparing your tax return.
Here are four options to consider to e-file your return.
1. IRS Fillable Forms
If you feel comfortable playing the role of accountant, you can access Fillable Forms on the IRS website and prepare your own taxes. All the forms and related worksheets include instructions to guide you through the process. The free forms will become available for completing 2024 tax returns on Jan. 27, 2025, which is the first day of the 2025 tax season and the date the IRS begins accepting tax returns for 2024.
If you ever filed your taxes by hand using the original paper forms, this is the online equivalent of that process. Depending on how simple or complicated your tax situation is, filling out these forms might be easy for you.
You’ll need to go through the steps to prepare your forms using your tax documents — for example, W-2s from your employer showing your income and withheld taxes — and then file everything yourself on the IRS website. If you owe money, you can pay directly on the IRS website.
A major downside of the IRS Fillable Forms program is you can’t automatically transfer information from your federal tax return to a state tax return. The IRS doesn’t support online filing of state tax returns with this option.
2. IRS Free File
The IRS offers another option to file your taxes online for free, but this time guided by tax software. With Free File, the IRS works in conjunction with online tax preparation companies to help you fill out everything and file online. You can choose one of the tax software companies that have partnered with the IRS and then navigate through simple questions to complete your return, with calculations taken care of by the online service.
As the name suggests, this tax-filing option is free, but there are some catches to be aware of:
- To qualify for Free File, taxpayers must have an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $84,000 or less for tax year 2024. That applies to all filing statuses, including single filers and those who are married filing jointly.
- Some of the IRS’ trusted tax partners have additional requirements that taxpayers must satisfy to qualify for Free File, such as living in a particular U.S. state.
- Some of the IRS’ tax software partners include a free state tax return, while others may charge an extra fee for the state return.
Free filing is now open for the 2024 tax season. You must go through the IRS website when you start the process (don’t go directly to the tax software company website). On the IRS site, you can navigate to a page to browse through an array of tax software companies that are IRS partners, or you can use an easy tool to find an IRS partner that meets your specific tax needs.
3. IRS Direct File
In addition to Fillable Forms and Free File, the IRS now also offers Direct File, which is essentially its own version of online tax-preparation software.
Direct File launched for the 2024 tax season, when taxpayers were filing their 2023 tax returns, and the people who used the program at that time were enthusiastic, with about 90% of users saying their experience was excellent or above average, according to a survey of 11,000 Direct File users, conducted by the General Services Administration.
One advantage of using the Direct File program: You can get live support directly from the IRS via chat or phone if you have questions while you’re filling out your tax return. Also, filing your taxes with Direct File is entirely free. And taxpayers in some states can automatically transfer their data from their federal return to their state return, which saves a lot of time in the tax-preparation process.
But there are some disadvantages, too.
- Direct File handles only a few deductions and credits. For example, Direct File doesn’t support claiming deductible IRA contributions.
- The program is available only in 25 states.
- For some of the participating states, you can’t easily transfer the information from your federal return to your state return. You’ll have to re-enter that information on your state return.
4. Tax software programs
Today’s tax software programs generally make preparing your taxes a breeze, mainly because many of them use a question-and-answer format that walks you through the process.
The amount of money you’ll spend to file your taxes online with the help of tax services can vary widely, depending on the software and your specific tax situation. While tax software companies offer paid plans with more benefits, most of the big players also offer a version that lets consumers with simple tax returns file federal taxes — and, often, even state returns — for free.
H&R Block, TurboTax and TaxSlayer are among the big players that offer free online versions of their popular software.
However, you must meet certain requirements to qualify, and the free versions are generally best for taxpayers who are reporting basic W-2 income, taking the standard deduction and who claim only the most common credits, such as the earned income tax credit and child tax credit.
Because these free online tax options don’t cover all tax situations, you may need to upgrade to a paid version if your tax return is more complicated — such as if you’re a homeowner, a freelancer or a small-business owner or you have other unique considerations.
If you intend to pay to file your taxes with a tax preparation provider, make sure you compare and contrast a few options to see what features each plan includes, and how much each costs. Many tax software companies now offer upgraded features that range from expert help to audit assistance to money-back guarantees that your return is accurate. Because the service tiers aren’t always the same across providers, you’ll need to first assess what features are most important to you. See Bankrate’s top picks for best tax software in 2025.
Documents you need to file taxes online
Before you start filling out your tax return, gather all the required financial paperwork you’ll need to file. This includes any W-2 forms you’ve received from employers you worked for in 2024, as well as Form 1099s you received for work with clients as a self-employed worker or for miscellaneous income you earned.
Other important tax forms you may receive include those showing interest you earned on bank accounts (1099-INT), investment income (usually on 1099s), student loan interest paid (1098-E), mortgage statements of interest paid (1098) and information on contributions you’ve made to an IRA (5498) or a health savings account (8889). You could gather all the required paperwork for your tax return as you move through the e-filing process, but collecting this information early can save you time later on.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to gather information on any charitable contributions you made in 2024 unless you’re planning to itemize your deductions. For the 2024 tax year, you must itemize if you want to deduct charitable contributions. These days, the vast majority of taxpayers choose to claim the standard deduction rather than itemizing.
How to pay your taxes online
How you file your taxes online will dictate how you pay for your taxes, if your completed 1040 form indicates that you owe money. If you file directly through the IRS, you can pay your taxes directly to the IRS online. The IRS allows taxpayers to make payments from their bank account, or with a debit card, credit card or digital wallet, though processing fees apply for these options.
If you use an online tax service to prepare your taxes, once your forms are ready, you will be given instructions about how and where to send money to the IRS if you owe taxes. As with making a payment directly to the IRS, you may be charged additional fees if you pay with a credit card.
You don’t have to pay your taxes online. Instead, you can mail your tax payment to the IRS. You must make your check, money order or cashier’s check payable to the U.S. Treasury and ensure it includes all of the necessary information outlined by the IRS.
How filing online affects your tax refund
After submitting your forms online, you will get a notification from the IRS informing you that your return was successfully received, or if an error occurred. If the IRS owes you a tax refund, you can check the status of your refund 24 hours after you e-file your return. You can also choose to have the IRS direct deposit your refund directly into your bank account, which ensures you receive the money more quickly. Or the IRS can send you a check by mail.
When to e-file taxes
The deadline to file your 2024 tax return is April 15, 2025. You have the option to request an extension if you need more time, in which case you will have until Oct. 15 to file your taxes. In order to qualify for an automatic six-month extension on your federal return, you need to file a Form 4868. If you don’t need extra time because you have all the paperwork you need, you can file your taxes online even before the due date. If you’re expecting a tax refund, this might be especially appealing.
How long it takes to receive your tax refund depends on a wide range of factors, but more than 90 percent of taxpayers receive their refund in less than 21 days.
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