IF THIS MAKES YOU MAD: In 2024 the IRS is testing a new direct tax filing tool that is basically a government-made and -owned TurboTax for people in 13 states
This is a HUGE deal, made possible by funding from Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. TurboTax et al are SUPER mad and trying to stop it, which is how you know it’s a great idea :)
This is a huge step towards the end goal of being able to log on, see how much the IRS thinks you owe, and then just confirm or deny - so if you’re eligible, please give it a shot!
Participating states are: Arizona, California, Massachusetts, New York, Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
The tool will be mobile-friendly and available in Spanish, and the IRS is hiring dedicated customer support to help people via live chat or phone if you need help!!
It’s going to be a limited pilot with a phased rollout, so won’t be immediately available to everyone in those states, but will slowly open up so that they can make sure everything works. They’ve pulled this together on an INSANELY fast timeline, so please give them a round of applause :)
One flag: because of various security rules that the IRS can’t do anything about, the tool will say that you have to verify your identity through facial recognition. YOU CAN OPT OUT OF THIS so please don’t let it stop you.
The Biden admin is working to update these rules (with a huge focus on equity) but unfortunately that takes a while - and in the meantime, the IRS is legally obligated to be super super careful about who gets access to your data! (One of many reasons they’re a better bet than TurboTax)
Sources: IRS announcement, IRS blog post, article talking about updates to identity verification standards
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