Free E-File Taxes – Learn How to E-File for Free

E-filing and free federal e-file are terms that you might hear around tax season, but it’s only one part of preparing your taxes. To help you understand what the terms e-file and free federal e-file mean, we’ll outline the relevant concepts in this post.

What Is E-Filing?

Electronic tax filing, or e-filing, is the process of submitting your completed income tax return to the IRS over the Internet. Compared to sending your paper return through the mail, e-file has the advantage of reducing the processing time, which can help you get your refund more quickly.

You can e-file on your own through a number of online or software programs. Or, a tax preparer might e-file for you as part of their services. However, e-file is not available for everyone. Taxpayers with more complexity may find that e-file is not allowed for their returns.

What Is Free Federal E-File?

Free federal e-file means you can submit your return to the IRS without cost. This is also referred to as IRS free e-file. As mentioned above, the free e-file only covers the transmission to the IRS. This doesn’t necessarily mean the tax return preparation is free. We’ll come back to that in a moment.

H&R Block Free E-File Options

If you’re using one of H&R Block’s do-it-yourself (DIY) programs, the number of free federal e-file transmissions will vary. For example, if you file with H&R Block Online, you can file one federal return for free. However, if you’re using one of our Tax Software options, you can e-file five federal returns for free. We should note that state e-file costs can vary depending on the option you choose.

Regardless of the DIY option you choose, we’ll walk you through the process of completing your e-file and help you understand what to do if your e-file is rejected for any errors.

Beyond Free Federal E-File: What About Free Tax Prep?

Before you can take advantage of IRS free e-file, you have to prepare your return. Several commercial brands offer free online tax preparation, but eligibility for the free options can vary.

H&R Block Free Online offers several benefits, including more tax forms for free compared to TurboTax Free Edition.

See how TurboTax Free Edition and H&R Block Free Online tax filing stack up.