In early February 2025, claims emerged that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk, had terminated, or planned to terminate, a program — Direct File — run by the IRS that allows (some) citizens to file individual tax returns for free:

Though some social media users interpreted Elon Musk's X post as meaning the service was closed, its website remained active as of Feb. 7.

Though the billionaire presidential adviser created confusion when he said he’d “deleted” the agency behind it, the free filing program is still available—at least for the coming tax season.

The IRS’ free tax-preparation program remains a free option for taxpayers this year, but the fate of a group of government technologists that helped develop it is less certain.

Elon Musk posted that the IRS Direct File group had been "deleted," prompting confusion about the free tax prep service's future.

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk posted on X that he had eliminated 18F, a government group that developed the ‘Direct File’ IRS program so Americans could file their taxes for free

Elon Musk posted Monday on his social media site that he had “deleted” 18F, a government agency that worked on technology projects such as the IRS’ Direct File program.

Musk said that 18F agency that supports free Direct File tax filing for Americans has been deleted – but it's still accepting returns.

Is Direct File the latest government program to be targeted by President Donald Trump’s administration? Tech billionaire Elon Musk said Monday that the 18F group that helped build the Direct File initiative,

The IRS is accepting returns now through April 15. Here's how to track your refund and calculate how much could come your way.

Direct File, a system that allows people in some states to file directly with the IRS for free, is in fact still available, despite Musk posting cryptic messages on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.