IRS Direct File

Direct File is the IRS service that lets taxpayers electronically file federal tax returns for free, directly with the agency. It interprets the Internal Revenue Code as plain-language interview questions, translates the answers into standard tax forms, and transmits them to the IRS Modernized e-File API. The web experience is built to work on a phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop and is offered in English and Spanish.

A declarative, XML-based Fact Graph reasons about incomplete information, such as a partially completed return. It is written in Scala, runs on the JVM, and is transpiled with Scala.js to run in the browser. Taxpayers can optionally export federal return data to a third-party state or local filing tool.

The code was developed by an in-house IRS team with support from USDS, GSA, TrussWorks, Coforma, and ATI. It is archived and no longer maintained, omits PII, FTI, SBU, and NSS code, and should not be used in production.