Don't be tricked into paying to file your taxes

Many people who qualify for free tax filing end up paying to file because tax preparers make their free filing sites too difficult to find.

Posted 4:57 p.m. Feb 12, 2020 — Updated 4:58 p.m. Feb 12, 2020

John Matarese

, Don't Waste Your Money consumer reporter

Many people who qualify for free tax filing end up paying to file because tax preparers make their free filing sites too difficult to find.

That's finally changing this year.

Pay your taxes for free on irs.gov

This year, the IRS has made it easier than ever for taxpayers to file their 2019 returns for free. Their free tax filing service prevents companies from steering users to their paid sites.

Under a new agreement with the IRS, tax prep firms like TurboTax have agreed to make their free file site easy to find on Google and on their homepage. If your adjusted gross income is $69,000 dollars or less this year, you should qualify for free filing, experts say.

However, free filing still comes with some catches, including one very frustrating glitch that will trip up taxpayers again this year.

Not all companies use the $60,000 threshold -- at Tax Act it's $59,000, and with TurboTax it's just $36,000 dollars for most people.

That's not good news if you start entering your data and find you don't qualify with that preparer.

The best way to file your taxes for free is to simply start at the IRS website and go through their free file section. That way you'll end up with a preparer that meets your income, and you don't waste your money.

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