IRS to States: Direct File Tool Is a No-Go for Next Tax Season

The IRS told its state partners this week that the Biden-era Direct File tool won’t be offered for the 2026 tax filing season.

Cindy Noe, an IRS employee who worked on Direct File, said in an email to states that was viewed by Bloomberg Tax that “No launch date has been set for the future.”

The announcement comes after former IRS Commissioner Billy Long said in July that Direct File was “gone.” Direct File’s chief, Bridget Roberts, was put on administrative leave in August and the office saw a steep exodus with the Trump administration’s incentives to leave the federal ...