Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! There are no eligibility requirements for free filing if you are filing on your own. To be eligible to file your taxes for free with help virtually or in-person help, you will need to meet the following criteria:

• Income at or less than $60,000 ($66,000 or less if filing with virtual help)
• No rental income (from a property you own)
• Did not file for bankruptcy last year
• Had no cancellation of debt outside of non-business credit cards
• No clergy income
• If married, are filing jointly
• Had no self-employment income with business related expenses over $35,000 or businesses with employees, inventory, or business property

Federal tax returns are due around April 15 each year. However, if you get a refund from the IRS and do not owe taxes, you will not face a penalty for failing to file by the return deadline. The filing deadline for those that owe federal taxes for tax year 2022 is April 18th, 2023.

Californians will have until April 18, 2023, to file and pay any owed CA state income taxes. If you need an extension to file your CA state income taxes, California grants an automatic extension. The extensions allow taxpayers to file by October 16, 2023, however, tax payments are still due by April 18, 2023, even with an extension to file.

If you are a U.S. citizen or resident, whether you must file a federal income tax return depends on your gross income, your filing status, your age, and whether you are a dependent. You may have to file a tax return even if your gross income is less than the amount required to file.

For tax year 2022, you must file a tax return if your total 2022 income exceeds the amount listed below:

You must file a tax return if any of the following apply (regardless of how much you earned in 2022):

• Cash income, self-employment income, business income, or income from a 1099 NEC, MISC, or K of at least $400.
• Income from a retirement account (form 1099 R) if you were under the age of 59 and ½ at the end of 2022.
• If you purchased healthcare on the Marketplace (Covered CA or Healthcare.gov) at any time during 2022.

Even if you aren’t required to file, it’s important to check to see if you are eligible for hundreds or thousands of dollars in tax credits, like the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) or Young Child Tax Credit.

You’ll need to gather all of your tax and income documents like W2s, 1099s and 1098s. To help maximize your deductions, you’ll also want to gather documents like childcare and education expenses, charitable donations, and vehicle or renter information. View and download the full list of documents you need here.

Though many Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites provide in-person help on a seasonal basis, there are some sites that offer services year-round either in-person or virtually. If you are unable to find in-person help near you, free online self filing through TaxSlayer is available through October 15 of each year.

Tax Credits are a cash-back refund designed to support families in need of a financial boost. They are based on a variety of factors such as annual income and having children. Tax credits help reduce the amount of taxes you owe, but you must file your taxes each year to claim what’s yours. Learn more about tax credits you may be eligible for here.

You can calculate your potential tax credits using the MyFreeTaxes Tax Credit Calculator, and learn more about eligibility requirements here.

Our tax calculator looks at popular programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, but there are other credits or deductions you may qualify for. To maximize your refund, we recommend bringing the following documents with you to your appointment.

We also invite you to explore United Ways of California’s Benefit Calculator to see if you’re eligible for other public benefits that could help support you and your family, like CalFresh, Medicaid, and reduced-cost internet.

All filing options — on your own using free filing software, with virtual help through GetYourRefund, or with in-person help — offer free filing support in both Spanish and English.

Many in-person appointments at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site also offer appointments in a variety of languages including: Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Farsi, Russian, Hmong, and more. Please note that availability differs by site and will be noted when making an appointment.

If you need help filing previous year tax returns, check out our In-Person Help and File with virtual help filing options for help. In-person VITA sites can usually prepare up to three previous year returns (this may vary by site). Though our virtual with help option, tax years 2019-2022 are covered.

Please note, that if you do not qualify for free help through VITA, and are looking to self-file previous year returns online, unfortunately there are no free online options available.

If you need a copy of your tax return, you can request an Account Transcript from both the IRS and the State of California for any tax year. An Account Transcript will show income sources and the amounts earned and is free.

Visit the IRS and Franchise Tax Board websites to order or immediately download a previous year’s Account Transcript.

This website is best viewed using the most up-to-date browser version of Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. If you are using an out-of-date browser or a version of Internet Explorer, you may not experience the full effect when viewing the site.

Additionally, if you have a pop-up blocker on, you may need to disable or configure the settings. We recommend that you disable the blocker temporarily and add MyFreeTaxes.org to your “white list.” You can view these resources for more information:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari

Information shared during your tax filing appointment and online is 100% confidential. The IRS is forbidden from sharing your tax information with any outside entity. This includes other government organizations like Immigration.

The tax filing season opens mid-January and ends on Tax Day (April 18). Appointments differ depending on the site and volunteer availability. Go here to explore available appointments in your area.

Every single VITA volunteer providing in-person tax filing help for the community goes through mandatory training from the IRS. This training takes approximately 20-30 hours.

Through MyFreeTaxes.org, there are no income caps for free self-filing. Our self-preparation software (accessible by selecting the File on my own option on our homepage) is completely free. We connect users to one of two self-preparation software options based on their income, available in both English and Spanish:

• Taxpayers with incomes at or under $73,000 will be redirected to file for free through TaxSlayer.
• Taxpayers with incomes above $73,000 are redirected to file for free through CashApp.

Common tax situations covered in MyFreeTaxes include:

• W-2 income
• Self-employment income (Schedule C and 1099)
• Mortgage interest deduction
• Health savings accounts (HSAs)
• Limited interest and dividend income reported on a 1099-INT or 1099-DIV
• Unemployment income
• Student education expenses and credits
• Student loan interest
• Claiming the standard deduction
• Itemized returns
• Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC)
• Child tax credits
• Child and dependent care expenses
• Non-resident returns
• Amended tax returns

You must start at www.MyFreeTaxes.org and select our File on my own option. You will be redirected to a referral link that you will then use to access the TaxSlayer software, which will ensure you are not charged and associate your account with our referral link. Make sure to bookmark the link to TaxSlayer once you follow these steps.

If you navigate to TaxSlayer directly, or use a link from another website, we cannot guarantee you won’t accidentally access one of TaxSlayer’s paid products. If you see a fee, you’ll need to delete your return and start over using the referral link we provide you. Please follow these steps:

• Log into your TaxSlayer account
• Using the gray sidebar, go to Settings, then Transaction History
• In the Deactivate Tax Return section, select a reason from the drop-down menu and click the “Clear Your Return and Restart” button
  • If the Deactivate Tax Return section is empty, please log out of your account, close your internet browser, re-open your browser, and repeat the steps above.
• Go to www.myfreetaxes.org, choose our self-file option, and complete our questions. We will connect you to our partner software using our special referral link. Please immediately log into your tax software account using to ensure your account is tagged with our referral link.

To deactivate your account, follow these steps:

1. Log into your account with the tax software provider.
2. Click on Settings, then Transaction History.
3. In the “Deactivate Tax Return” section, select a reason from the drop-down menu and select “Clear Your Return and Restart”.

To start amending your return through TaxSlayer, follow the following steps:

1. Select E-file in the main navigation menu.
2. Select the Amended Return menu item that appears below it in the navigation menu.
3. Amend your return
4. Once you have completed your amended return, select Continue at the bottom of the Amended Return menu to choose how you wish to file it.

The email notifying you of the rejection should provide the reason. Make corrections by logging back into your tax software account and refile. If that doesn’t work, you may have to file a paper return or contact the IRS. The most common reasons for rejection are:

1. Employer EIN does not match IRS information
2. Social Security number does not match IRS name
3. Someone already filed using a dependent’s Social Security number
4. IRS identity theft PIN is wrong or was omitted

When you file virtually with help through MyFreeTaxes.org, you will be redirected to Get Your Refund — a trusted software that is provided by Code for America in partnership with our local tax partners.

Taxpayers answer simple questions about their household situation, securely upload their tax documents, and can get connected to IRS certified VITA volunteers for assistance. Once the taxpayer uploads all their documents, the VITA team will remotely prepare the tax return, call the taxpayer to review their return, and file the return with taxpayer consent.

Get Your Refund can be accessed on any device (desktop, mobile, tablet) and is accessible with a screen reader. 

Through Get Your Refund, usually a return will be prepared within 10-14 business days. The length of the process may be longer if you do not upload the documents needed, and/or do not answer phone calls and emails from your tax preparer promptly to ensure they have all the information needed to prepare an accurate return. 

Get Your Refund allows people to safely and privately upload their tax documents, allowing them to file safely from home.

An Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITINs) is a tax processing number available to individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a Social Security number (SSN). You can learn more about ITIN requirements and eligibility here.

Generally, yes. The IRS has strong privacy protections in place to ensure that immigrants who report their income and file their taxes are not at risk of having their information shared. Under Internal Revenue Code section 6103, the IRS is generally prohibited from disclosing taxpayer information, including to other federal agencies. However, certain exceptions apply. For example, the IRS is required to disclose taxpayer information to certain U.S. Treasury Department employees when they request it for tax administration purposes or to other federal agencies if it’s needed for a non-tax criminal investigation and a federal court has ordered that it be provided.

This information was provided by the National Immigration Law Center. Learn more about their information for ITIN holders here.

If your ITIN expires, you will need to include an ITIN application along with your taxes. View our ITIN application and renewal checklist here.

To renew or apply for an ITIN, you will need to download and complete a W-7 Application for IRS ITIN Form and gather the necessary documentation as listed in our ITIN checklist. You can submit your application in any one of three ways:

1. Complete your W-7 ITIN application form on your own, gather your documents, and send it to the IRS following these instructions, OR
2. Make an appointment at a local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site to get free help filling out and submitting your W-7 form, OR
3. Schedule an appointment at a select IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) where in-person document review is provided by calling (844) 545-5640.

No. You can also file on your own with this checklist.