1098
For your simple[r] tax needs: https://directfile.irs.gov
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this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2024
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Corporations are able to buy their way into an IRS endorsement. There is no reason to trust their links just because a singularly egregious deception has been removed from their site.
The IRS presented them to the public as a "free option" for years, knowing they were not free. The IRS lied for profit. I have no reason at all to ever trust their suggestions.
It would be unreasonable for me to return to the same entity that lied to me and ask for more advice.
The only time they're not free is if you don't meet the requirements for the Free File Program or you try to use one of TurboTax's services that aren't part of the Free File Program.
I actually used TurboTax for years before they left the Free File Program (supposedly because it was too restrictive in what they could charge for), and I never had to pay a cent. I've since moved on to other tax sites that are still part of the Free File Program, and I've still never had to pay anything.
Most people who tried to use the program were deceived by Intuit. Intuit settled numerous lawsuits for their lies. Their expensive settlement is why Intuit left the program. Here's a relevant exerpt from an Ars Technica article on the topic:
I would argue that the IRS wasn't at fault here, though. Like the article said, people were steered away from the Free File Program, so people having to pay wasn't a fault of the Free File Program but rather a fault of Intuit's deceptive practices of marketing their alternative freemium versions of their software.
The IRS was very aware of it as it had been going on for years. There were numerous complaints and lawsuits that the IRS were made aware of as they happened.
Intuit spent millions annually lobbying anyone who would accept their money and were permitted to remain part of the free-file program for years with their famously deceptive software.
The IRS and lawmakers have all been complicit in allowing this to happen for an extended period of time.
Just curious, why are you defending Intuit or the IRS? It seems an odd position to take. I've never encountered someone with this position before.