IRS Free File Fillable Forms
Hacker ApprovedRanked 3 of 4 tax software by recommenders
Free official IRS tax forms online, with nothing obscured, that many people find easier than expected. Critics say they are tedious and require real tax knowledge.
Free official IRS tax forms online, with nothing obscured, that many people find easier than expected. Critics say they are tedious and require real tax knowledge.
18 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 13
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 72%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 13 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Free for everyone
“Free Fillable Forms paired with ChatGPT (free, not even plus) is adequate for the vast majority of the tax population now”
Comment from 21 May 2026 in “Intuit to lay off over 3k employees to refocus on AI” “Which is free for nearly everyone, but is only marginally better than paper filing your own taxes.”
Comment from 5 Nov 2025 in “Direct File won't happen in 2026, IRS tells states” “Free Fillable Forms is free for everyone.”
Comment from 5 Nov 2025 in “Direct File won't happen in 2026, IRS tells states” Easier than expected, no frills
“I used the IRS free fillable forms this year and it was much easier than I expected”
Comment from 21 May 2026 in “Intuit to lay off over 3k employees to refocus on AI” “It's the real deal forms just online and with nothing obscured or sugar coated.”
Comment from 5 Nov 2025 in “Direct File won't happen in 2026, IRS tells states” Used every year by repeat filers
“And no it isn't a bad solution. I use it every year.”
Comment from 5 Nov 2025 in “Direct File won't happen in 2026, IRS tells states” “I use Free File Fillable Forms to prepare my taxes.”
Comment from 3 Mar 2026 in “I Used Claude to File My Taxes for Free”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Tedious, demands tax knowledge
“requires more knowledge of tax law than the average person can reasonably be expected to possess”
Comment from 5 Nov 2025 in “Direct File won't happen in 2026, IRS tells states” “the problem isn't so much that it is hard as that it is very tedious”
Comment from 5 Nov 2025 in “Direct File won't happen in 2026, IRS tells states”
Other tax software people recommend
The three most recommended other tax software, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TurboTax | 25 | 58 | 30% | 9 | 20 yrs6 owners | — |
| FreeTaxUSA | 22 | 5 | 81% | 5 | 3 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| IRS Free File Fillable FormsThis page | 13 | 5 | 72% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Cash App Taxes | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | 1 yr3 owners | — |
What people said
16 of the 19 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“IRS fillable forms is really good in my opinion it should be more widely known.”
“I used the IRS free fillable forms this year and it was much easier than I expected”
“was pleased to see that it did some input validation”
“Free Fillable Forms paired with ChatGPT (free, not even plus) is adequate for the vast majority of the tax population now”
“I use Free File Fillable Forms to prepare my taxes.”
“IIRC if you have other than some basic income types, you cannot use it though.”
“The error messages are also wonderful, as they come a day or two after you submit”
“And no it isn't a bad solution. I use it every year.”
“Free Fillable Forms is free for everyone.”
“Which is free for nearly everyone, but is only marginally better than paper filing your own taxes.”
“There are zero people on the planet who insist they are remotely as easy as Direct File.”
“the problem isn't so much that it is hard as that it is very tedious”
“It started requiring phone numbers and things and I stopped using it”
“requires more knowledge of tax law than the average person can reasonably be expected to possess”
“It's the real deal forms just online and with nothing obscured or sugar coated.”
“As long as they don't kill FreeFillableForms”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.