Free Tax Filing and Free Tax Help, State by State
Filing at no cost is realistic for most individual returns, through public programs run by the IRS and independent nonprofits. Which one fits depends on your income, your age or service status, and how complicated the return is.
This is a guide to those programs — PRISM does not run any of them and does not file returns for free. Below: the three national programs, followed by state pages covering how the state return works alongside the federal one.
The three no-cost paths
File it yourself
IRS Free File offers guided federal filing through partner software for taxpayers under an income limit the IRS sets each filing season.
IRS Free File →Free help near you
IRS-certified VITA and TCE volunteers prepare returns in person at no cost. The IRS locator returns sites by ZIP code.
Find a site →Program-specific help
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide focuses on older taxpayers. MilTax covers active-duty service members and many recently separated veterans.
Free tax filing by state
Federal plus the CA state return
Free tax filing in MassachusettsFederal plus the MA state return
Free tax filing in New YorkFederal plus the NY state return
Free tax filing in IllinoisFederal plus the IL state return
Free tax filing in GeorgiaFederal plus the GA state return
Free tax filing in OhioFederal plus the OH state return
Free tax filing in North CarolinaFederal plus the NC state return
Free tax filing in TexasFederal only — no state income tax return
Free tax filing in FloridaFederal only — no state income tax return
When free filing stops being the right fit
Free programs carry scope limits. Volunteer sites decline returns beyond their certification level, and Free File partners restrict eligibility by income and sometimes by form. Equity compensation, a business, rental property, large capital transactions, multi-state income, and open IRS notices commonly fall outside those limits.
That is a complexity question, not a state question. If a return is inside the limits, filing free is the straightforward path. If it is outside them, the cost of getting the position wrong is usually larger than the cost of preparation.
See your position before you file
PRISM models federal and state liability, withholding coverage, and balance due from your own facts — before the return is filed.