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February 16, 2025As states increasingly turn to developing free, online tax filing tools for residents, civic tech experts said improving usability and experience is key.
The April 15 deadline for filing income tax returns is just around the corner, spurring Americans to dig up tax forms, income documents and tax credit and deduction papers. For residents in nine states, the process this year could be made much simpler with free online tax filing tools.
Of those nine states, tax agencies in Idaho, Maryland, New Jersey and North Carolina have partnered with the civic tech nonprofit Code for America to develop their own tax filing systems this year. The FileYourStateTaxes tool offers a user-friendly, mobile-first filing system for residents to streamline their state and federal tax return processes.
The states’ projects build upon the federal Internal Revenue Service’s Direct File pilot program administered in 2024, which offered people in 12 states a free electronic tax filing system to manage their federal tax returns. The tool was made permanent this year and opened in 25 states, although it has been the subject of criticism and its long-term future may be in doubt.
