Your 2025 Guide to Filing Taxes for Free in Pennsylvania

More than 2 million Pennsylvanians are eligible to file their taxes for free. Are you one of them?

Tax season can be a headache, requiring you to juggle lots of confusing paperwork before a pesky deadline. It can also be expensive: the average American spends $270 to file their taxes each year. But in 2025, it’s easier than ever for Pennsylvanians to file state and federal taxes for free. According to the Shapiro administration, about 2.1 million Pennsylvania residents are now eligible to use the Internal Revenue Service’s Direct File online tool, which is completely free. Many people are also eligible for tax assistance at free sites run by volunteers throughout Pennsylvania.

This means that there’s a good chance you don’t need to spend your money paying for expensive tax preparation services, and you can still maximize your tax refund. Our guide will help you learn about the tax help available in your community and how to file your 2024 taxes for free this year.

Where to go for free tax assistance in Pennsylvania

If you need help filing your taxes, you may be eligible for free assistance by trained volunteers at sites around your community. You can get help from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites if you earn less than $67,000, have a disability, or need to file your taxes in a language other than English. Tax Counseling for the Elderly is another tax assistance program intended for senior citizens who are 60 or older. Most of these sites are run by the AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide program. Trained TCE volunteers are particularly skilled at answering questions about pensions and retirement-related tax issues.

Find a free tax help site

There are hundreds of VITA and TCE sites throughout the commonwealth, with many operating until the tax deadline of April 15. These tax prep sites are operated by community organizations and can usually be found in places like schools, senior centers, nonprofits, and libraries. Many provide tax help during a wide range of hours and in different languages. You can search your zip code on the IRS website or call 800-906-9887 to find a VITA or TCE site near you. Most sites — though not all — require taxpayers to make an appointment before coming in for tax prep help.

When you go to a site for tax prep, be sure to bring photo IDs for you and your spouse; social security cards for you, your spouse, and dependents (or ITINs, if applicable); all tax documents like your W-2 or 1099 forms; and any other necessary documents.

Get free help filing online

Note that some VITA sites will assist you with filing your return online. One option for online tax help is MyFreeTaxes.com, a VITA service from United Way, a national nonprofit. With MyFreeTaxes, you can have your return prepared online (or in person) for free, as long as you meet VITA requirements (generally that you earn less than $67,000). When you use MyFreeTaxes to have your return prepared for you, it will typically be ready in about one to two weeks.

How to file your taxes yourself online for free

Filing your federal return online

If your taxes are simple enough that you don’t think you need help from a community tax assistant site, you may want to file online with the Direct File tool, newly available for Pennsylvanians in 2025. (Direct File is currently only available to individuals in 25 states, including Pennsylvania.) If you meet eligibility requirements, you can use Direct File on your computer, smartphone, or tablet. You can also get live support from IRS staff on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. 

You may be eligible to file with the Direct File tool if you:

• Lived in Pennsylvania for all of 2024
• Earned all of your 2024 income in Pennsylvania
• Will not file the PA Schedule OC – Other Credits form (Most people will not need to file this form, which concerns mostly niche credits. You can check a copy of the form to see if it’s familiar.)

Check your full eligibility online at the Direct File website.

If you’re not eligible for Direct File, you may be able to file with IRS Free File, which is guided tax software provided by tax assistance companies for free, available to people nationwide. You’re likely eligible to use IRS Free File if you are filing simple taxes and had an income of $84,000 or less in 2024, but each company has separate requirements for its free file tool. There are eight companies providing free filing software, and you can explore each tool on the IRS website.

Filing your state return online

Pennsylvanians also need to pay state income taxes, which you can do online for free at Pennsylvania’s myPATH website. And if you use the Direct File tool to file your federal taxes, you can easily transfer your federal tax data to your Pennsylvania return, making the filing process even simpler. MyPATH is a free tool that will help you find deductions and credits that may lower how much you have to pay in state taxes—or may increase your refund!

You may also be able to use IRS Free File tools to file your state income taxes, but only two companies (OLT and FreeTaxUSA) provide free software for Pennsylvanians to file state taxes, and only if they earned $48,000 or less in 2024 (or are in the military and made $84,000 or less). For most people, myPATH is likely a better option.

When will I get my refund?

According to the IRS, federal tax refunds are issued within three weeks from the date your return is electronically filed. State tax refunds are usually issued within four weeks, but your refund may take longer. You can track the status of your refund via the Pa. Department of Revenue website.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.