March 12, 2024

Warren Celebrates Launch of New IRS Direct File Pilot

For years, Senator Warren has led the fight for an easy and free option for Americans to file taxes directly with the IRS.

Boston, MA — Today, in response to the official launch of the IRS Direct File pilot program in 12 states, including Massachusetts, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the following statement:

“This is the start of American taxpayers having a truly free and easy option to file their taxes directly with the IRS, saving people time and money. For years, giant tax prep companies like TurboTax and H&R Block have gamed the system to make millions by taking a bite out of refunds and monetizing personal information. The IRS Direct File is an example of how the Biden administration is cutting junk fees and making government work better for working people. About a third of taxpayers in Massachusetts can use this free direct file option to file their taxes, and I encourage people to check their eligibility at directfile.IRS.gov.”

Right now, individual taxpayers are forced to spend 9 hours and $150 on average to file their taxes, while the tax prep companies profit off of charging junk fees and sharing personal taxpayer information. Presidents going back to Ronald Reagan have proposed making tax filing truly free and easy, and, despite tax prep company lobbying, the Biden Administration is delivering.

Senator Warren has been at the forefront of holding tax prep companies accountable for abuses and has led the fight for a free, direct E-File program to make tax filing simpler and more affordable for millions of Americans:

  • In October 2023, Senators Warren, Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sanders, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Representative Porter sent letters to five tax preparation companies—H&R Block, TaxAct, TaxSlayer, Ramsey Solutions, and Intuit—that recently received notices of penalty offenses from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding the misuse of taxpayer’s sensitive and confidential information. 

  • In July 2023, Senators Warren, Wyden, Blumenthal, Duckworth, Sanders, and Whitehouse and Representative Katie Porte released a report revealing the outrageous, extensive, and potentially illegal sharing of taxpayers’ sensitive personal and financial information with Meta by online tax preparation companies. The lawmakers also sent a letter to the IRS, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Justice highlighting their key findings and calling on these departments to fully investigate this matter and prosecute any company or individuals who violated the law.

  • In June 2023, Senators Warren and Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Representatives Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Porter and Don Beyer (D-Va.), led a coalition of 99 Democratic lawmakers in a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel and Deputy Treasury Secretary Adewale Adeyemo, applauding the IRS’s announcement of a pilot of a free tax filing tool next year.

  • In April 2023, Senators Warren and Carper led 29 other senators in a letter to the IRS Commissioner, urging the agency to simplify the tax process and broaden access to free e-filing options.

  • In April 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren questioned the IRS Commissioner about the agency’s failed Free-File partnership with private tax preparation software companies and called on the agency to implement a direct E-File program. 

  • In December 2022, Senators Warren and Wyden and Representatives Porter and Sherman sent letters to tax preparation companies H&R Block, TaxAct, and TaxSlayer, plus big tech firms Meta, and Google, amid reports that the tax preparation companies have been secretly transmitting individual taxpayers’ sensitive financial information to Meta and Google

  • In August 2022, Senator Warren highlighted key priorities she secured in the Senate’s Inflation Reduction Act, including establishing an IRS task force to look into developing and running an IRS-run free direct E-File tax return system, based on Senator Warren’s Tax Filing Simplification Act. 

  • In July 2022, Senator Warren led 22 lawmakers to introduce the Tax Filing Simplification Act of 2022, legislation that would direct the IRS to develop its own free online tax preparation and filing service that would simplify the tax filing process for millions of Americans 

  • In June 2022, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen agreed with Senator Warren on the need to create a free tax filing system that actually works for Americans. 

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