Recently, Elon Musk, chief of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, announced the dissolution of 18F, a government technology unit responsible for developing Internal Revenue Service’s Direct File tax filing service among many others. It raises questions into what the future may hold for free tax filing services in the United States.
18F and its role
18F was founded in 2014 under the General Services Administration to update federal agencies for modern digital services. The team has been working on designing and implementing user-centered digital solutions that will be of great importance in helping the public access federal services more easily.
Of course, some of the notable projects 18F was behind included building out the IRS’ Direct File program. Direct File, as part of its pilot launch in 2024, allowed taxpayers to file their taxes directly from the IRS website with no cost attached in selected states. It means making life so easy in an effort to remove the dependence of citizens on third-party tax preparation services.
Announcement by Elon Musk
Elon Musk announced on his social media platform X on February 3, 2025, that 18F had been “deleted”. Confusion ensued after the announcement over whether the Direct File program still existed anymore and what finally would be the fate of government-digital.
The GSA, to date, has declined comment on 18F’s status, and IRS also hasn’t issued any statement regarding how the dissolving of 18F may or may not impact the status of the Direct File program.
Direct file program: Current status
But through all the muck and murk with 18F, the Direct File program chugs along. The IRS’ Direct File web page is live and taxpayers can use the service this tax filing season.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had assured in his confirmation hearing with the Senate Finance Committee last month that Direct File would continue: “I will commit that for this tax season that Direct File will be operative.”
Impact and outlook
The dissolution of 18F raises many questions for what might be next with front-facing government digital services. To start, the Direct File program would remain whole but perhaps sans knowledgeable expertise from 18F in terms of developing and maintaining projects of this caliber.
Critics say such moves- such as the end of 18F-will hurt the government’s quest to provide a more efficient, user-friendly way of digital service delivery. Supporters, however, see the move as an opportunity for the government to cut spending and rely more heavily upon private sector solutions.
It continues to be very important to follow the official communications issued by the IRS and the Treasury Department related to the operational status of the Direct File program, as well as the other digital services.
