Just need to vent...

A file-directly-with-IRS program was piloted by the Biden administration, available in a subset of states to begin with; it got a couple hundred thousand users the first year and something like 350k users the second year if I remember right. The next administration killed it.

 

Ditto; Since the first Trump administration - it isn't worth my time to itemize. I backdated 3-years of returns and they all came out to less than $75 - $100 in tax savings - Not worth the additional time, effort, and possible mistakes or audit review.
I'm always in the middle or slightly to the right of center on the programs' audit risk gauge - So I guess I have a lot of outliers - but I've got receipts for each and every one of them.

 

I understand that, new for this year, there's to be some provision for deducting charitable giving when there's otherwise no benefit to itemizing.

Interesting question, does deductibility work as an incentive to giving? Might say no, 'cause when the standard deduction went up so much I stopped itemizing, I didn't stop giving. So allowing (a limited part of) it to be deductible again could be seen as a needless incentive for something I was going to keep doing anyway.

On the other hand, my habits were formed earlier in life when the tax code materially encouraged them. So maybe there was something to that.

 

It certainly encouraged procrastinating giving, because it applies to 2026, not 2025 contributions.

They tricked me when there was a similar exception for charitable contributions during covid times, which I assumed would continue the following year, but it didn't.

 

Tax Hawk (not $0, but relatively inexpensive) does cover incomes over 89K, capital gains, capital loss carryovers, etc., and probes for additional deductions.

 

Just used it. The federal is free if you don't opt for the extras like outside support. It includes the full form, not just the EZ, though I can speak on how it handles investments.

It charges something like $15 to file a state return. Whether it is worth that depends on the state. Pennsylvania is single flat rate with few, if any, deductions. I just use the state's site to file.