this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2025
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The IRS Tax Filing Software TurboTax Is Trying to Kill Just Got Open Sourced (www.404media.co)
submitted 3 days ago by DesertDwellingWeirdo@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 53 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Unless it's maintained it won't be of much use. It needs to be kept up to date with tax laws, and it relies entirely on the IRS accepting the generated returns. It seems it may function for now, though.

Direct File interprets the United States' Internal Revenue Code (26 USC) as plain language questions, the answers to which should be known to taxpayers without need of external instructions or publications. Taxpayers' answers are then translated into standard tax forms and transmitted to the IRS's Modernized e-File (MeF) API, which is available for authorized public use

[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 44 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Linux geeks, assemble!

[–] axEl7fB5@lemmy.cafe 2 points 2 days ago

Web devs too!

[–] Lv_InSaNe_vL@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Direct File is maintained by the IRS themselves though.

[–] LordCrom@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The code to generate the forms should be simple enough.... But the amounts, the deductions, the laws, the rules...etc, these all need to be checked by an accountant or lawyer.... It might be a good method to double check a return, but if the return isn't guaranteed to be correct by the IRS or an accountant is checking details...I would be worried

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 3 points 2 days ago

Right. Well it should be good for 2025, so it depends on how much/if any changes there are in the next year.