Direct File, the free site for filing federal tax returns directly through the IRS, will be open for new users in 12 states during unspecified windows of time, before becoming widely available to taxpayers in those states in mid-March, according to the IRS.
The IRS has already launched its filing site to some federal government workers in a testing phase.
With this pilot program, the IRS says it is trying to provide a free alternative to taxpayers so they can use the government website for online filing instead of paying to do so with a commercial company.