Overview
- In an email to 25 states, the IRS said Direct File “will not be available in Filing Season 2026” and that no future launch date has been set.
- The notice directed taxpayers who need copies of past returns to obtain transcripts through IRS online accounts after access to the Direct File site was disabled.
- The pilot, launched in 2024, served roughly 295,000 to 296,500 taxpayers and drew high satisfaction ratings.
- Republican officials and tax‑preparation companies opposed the program, and over the summer Billy Long said the service was “gone.”
- A tax and spending law enacted in July under the Trump administration requires an IRS task force to assess public‑private options to replace Direct File, drawing criticism from advocates and a renewed push for free filing from Sen. Elizabeth Warren.