140,000 people did their taxes with the free IRS direct file pilot. But program’s future is unclear

By FATIMA HUSSEIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS says more than 140,000 taxpayers filed their taxes through its new direct file pilot program. It says the program’s users claimed more than $90 million in refunds and saved roughly $5.6 million in fees they would have spent with commercial tax preparation companies. But despite what IRS and Treasury Department officials said Friday is a successful rollout, they don’t guarantee the program will be available next year for more taxpayers. They say they need to evaluate the data on whether building out the program is feasible. The government pilot program rolled out this tax season allowed certain taxpayers in 12 states to submit their returns directly to the IRS for free.