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The ProPublica Free Tax Guide

Free, Fact-Checked Tax Information. That’s All.

ProPublica has reported extensively about taxes, the IRS Free File program and the IRS. Specifically, the ways in which the for-profit tax preparation industry — companies like Intuit (TurboTax), H&R Block and Tax Slayer — has lobbied for the Free File program, then systematically undermined it with evasive search tactics and confusing design. These companies also work to fill search engine results with tax “guides” that sometimes route users to paid products.

20 stories published since 2020

How to Track Your Tax Refund

How to File Taxes for Free Without TurboTax

How Unemployment Benefits Are Taxed in 2023

What to Know About the Earned Income Tax Credit

When Are Taxes Due?

What to Know About TurboTax Before You File Your Taxes This Year

Are Unemployment Benefits Taxed?

What Forms Do I Need to File My Taxes and Where Can I Get Them?

When Are Taxes Due?

Where Is My Tax Refund?

What Are 2020’s Tax Brackets, and Will I Get Audited?

What Is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and Do I Qualify for It?

How to File Your State and Federal Taxes for Free in 2021

The Most Common IRS Tax Forms You’re Likely to Come Across When Filing

What’s the Deal With Coronavirus Stimulus Checks, and How Do I Get One?

What Is the New Deadline to File Taxes? A Coronavirus Update.

Where Is My Tax Refund?

What Are 2019’s Tax Brackets, and Who Gets Audited the Most?

What Is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and Do I Qualify for It?

How to File Your State and Federal Taxes for Free in 2020

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

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Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

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Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

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Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

Most Read

    RFK Jr. Wants to Change a Program That Stopped Vaccine Makers From Leaving the U.S. Market. They Could Flee Again.

    The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program stabilizes the nation’s childhood immunization system while paying those harmed by rare side effects. If the program topples, it could threaten access to vaccines.

    Unattended

    He Was Accused of Killing His Wife. Idaho’s Coroner System Let Clues Vanish After a Previous Wife’s Death.

    Clayton Strong had a history of domestic unrest in two marriages. The women’s families say a more thorough investigation of Betty Strong’s death in Idaho might have saved the life of his next wife, Shirley Weatherley, in Texas.

    Zero Trust

    A Little-Known Microsoft Program Could Expose the Defense Department to Chinese Hackers

    The Pentagon bans foreign citizens from accessing highly sensitive data, but Microsoft bypasses this by using engineers in China and elsewhere to remotely instruct American “escorts” who may lack expertise to identify malicious code.

    Rx Roulette

    FDA Inspectors Again Find Dangerous Breakdowns at an Indian Factory Supplying Medications to U.S. Consumers

    The latest inspection comes 2 1/2 years after the agency allowed Sun Pharma to keep shipping some drugs to Americans even after banning the factory from the U.S. market because of quality problems.

    Texas Officials Say They Didn’t See the Flood Coming. Oral Histories Show Residents Have Long Warned of Risks.

    After a tragedy, records from local archives can help us understand how a community understands itself. Here’s some of what we learned following the devastating July 4 flooding in Texas.