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Direct File

IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel speaks during an event on Aug. 2, 2023, in McLean, Va. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also attended the event and spoke on “the significant progress that’s been made on modernizing the IRS and improving taxpayer service in the first year of the Inflation Reduction Act.” (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Inflation Reduction Act funds dwindling, but IRS still has billions for tech

The tax agency has spent 64% of its funding from the 2022 law, but there’s another $8.6 billion remaining for technology and operations support, per a watchdog…
Sep 4, 2026 By Matt Bracken
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., hold a hearing on July 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Tech-focused taxpayer services bill clears Senate Finance Committee

The bipartisan IRS legislation contains 60-plus measures, covering everything from digitization of tax returns to online dashboards and callback technology.
Jul 31, 2026 By Matt Bracken
From left, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Angus King, I-Maine, speak to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 26, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

GAO tells senators it will investigate IRS’s Free File program

The watchdog said in a letter to Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Angus King and Ron Wyden that it will honor their request to probe Free File following the…
Jun 1, 2026 By Matt Bracken
Advocates gather in Washington, D.C., to call out tax prep companies like Intuit TurboTax and H&R Block for blocking simplified filing and to support IRS exploration of alternative free tax filing on April 17, 2023. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Economic Security Project)

Senators seek GAO probe of IRS’s Free File program

The Trump administration has touted the tax agency’s oft-criticized Free File partnership with tax companies after it eliminated Direct File following heavy industry lobbying.
May 18, 2026 By Matt Bracken
A view of an IRS Direct File promotional sign at the Internal Revenue Service Building on April 5, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Economic Security Project)

IRS overestimated Direct File costs last year by $45 million

A Treasury watchdog report found that the tax agency projected $61.2 million in costs for the free electronic filing tool in fiscal 2025 but spent just $16.2…
Mar 24, 2026 By Matt Bracken
People use IRS Direct File at the Internal Revenue Service Building on April 05, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Economic Security Project)

Bill backed by 160 Democrats seeks rebirth of IRS’s Direct File

The legislation would make the free electronic filling tool a permanent program and bar the Treasury secretary from sabotaging it through other agreements.
Feb 26, 2026 By Matt Bracken
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A sign marks the location of the Office of Personnel Management headquarters building on Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by J. David Ake/Getty Images)

How to make Tech Force work

A former DHS AI Corps member and federal IT pro lays out a blueprint for how OPM’s new tech recruiting initiative can succeed.
Feb 20, 2026 By Abigail Haddad
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