More than 140,000 taxpayers across a dozen states filed their taxes for free using the IRS’ Direct File pilot program this year, but whether that’s considered a success depends on whom you ask.
During the final week of tax season, ended April 15, the IRS said it was processing more than 5,000 accepted returns daily. Taxpayers using Direct File claimed more than $90 million in tax refunds and reported $35 million in tax balances due, the agency said. It added that Americans saved an estimated $5.6 million in tax preparation fees on their federal returns alone.
“We wanted to test new ways to give taxpayers an easy, accurate and free way to file their taxes online directly with the IRS,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel in a statement. “We saw a strong response from the pilot, and Direct File’s users generally found it fast and easy to use.”
Was the Direct File pilot successful?
The IRS said a survey of more than 11,000 Direct File users found 90% of respondents ranked their experience with Direct File as “excellent” or “above average.” When asked what they particularly liked, most respondents cited Direct File’s ease of use, trustworthiness and that it was free.
Additionally, 86% of respondents said that their experience with Direct File increased their trust in the IRS, and 90% of survey respondents who used customer support responded that their experience was “excellent” or “above average.”
However, the agency declined to say whether it…
