Elon Musk wrote on X on Monday that 18F, the digital consulting team who developed the IRS Direct File system, had been deleted.

In early February 2025, claims emerged that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk, had terminated, or planned to terminate, a program — Direct File — run by the IRS that allows (some) citizens to file individual tax returns for free:

The IRS Direct File program, which lets you prepare and file your federal return for free, is still up and running, for now.

Tax season can be stressful from gathering all the required documents to finding a trusted place to file. Here are some options for filing for free.

Elon Musk, head of the chaos-causing Department of Government Efficiency, made an assertion this week that raised questions in some people’s minds about the status of the IRS Direct File program. That program enables tax filers in 25 states,