IRS Direct File to open a week after Trump’s inauguration

The IRS Direct File tool is scheduled to open to taxpayers across 25 states at the start of the coming tax season on Jan. 27, a week after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

This year, the free IRS tool to file directly with the government online will feature the option for taxpayers to import data the tax agency already has about them from their IRS account into the tool — things like their biographical information, identity protection pin and W-2 form. 

Still, the long-term future of Direct File is murky.

The IRS piloted the tool in 12 states last year after decades of relying on private tax prep companies to offer most Americans free options to file their taxes online. That program, called Free File, is vastly underused, although the IRS says Direct File is a supplement to Free File, not a replacement.

In terms of what happens next, Trump has ...