That website is IRS Direct File, which was well reviewed but little used in its 2024 debut as a free alternative to online tax prep services like TurboTax. I described Direct File, which lets you file your tax return online directly with the Internal Revenue Service, as proof that government technology can be pleasant to use.

With the tax deadline fast approaching, the future of the IRS Direct File program—a free tax filing service—remains uncertain as Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reassess federal expenditures.

The US DOGE Department is proposing to cut the IRS workforce by an additional 7,000 employees, on top of the 10,000 that have already been fired or taken voluntary buy outs.

The Trump administration has demoted its top Internal Revenue Service lawyer and replaced him after the Department of Government Efficiency received pushback while trying to obtain confidential taxpayer information.

The acting chief counsel of the IRS has been removed from his position as Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service seeks access to sensitive taxpayer records, according to people familiar with the matter.