Government Capacity

The Direct File Dream Lives On

06.13.25 | 3 min read | Text by Merici Vinton

On May 28, we hosted 40 leaders from across government, civic tech, and advocacy at the Federation of American Scientists’ office in D.C. to reflect and chart the future of public interest tax filing. The backdrop was a wildly successful product beloved by users, which the AP reported DOGE and the Trump administration intend on sunsetting, while the public is calling for easy, free tax filing. This meeting was a coalition of experts unwilling to let this momentum go to waste.

Participants, ranging from former IRS staff and state tax teams to advocates, engineers, and policy veterans, brainstormed how to carry forward the most valuable parts of Direct File. What surfaced was clear: the tool was just the start. The ideas, tech, and values behind it can, and should, be applied far beyond a single product.

The good news: since this convening the IRS released Direct File software and made it open source. 

Key findings

• Build the playbook. Show others, especially states, how Direct File was built, shipped, and maintained at high quality. Own the story, share the code, and make it replicable.
• Scale smart customer support. Direct File redefined what IRS service could look like, with real-time help and data-driven improvements. Let’s apply that bar elsewhere.
• Modernize the bureaucracy. From reforming the Paper Work Reduction Act to common-sense data sharing, participants named concrete ways to untangle red tape and better serve people.
• Unlock better benefits access. Direct File proved tax filing can be an on-ramp to other public benefits. Now let’s make that vision real—with smarter data use and simplified experiences.
• Support the states. Multiple attendees are already collaborating to help states stand up free filing tools or expand access to benefits using the Direct File codebase.

The outcome was shared clarity that the work continues. Direct File wasn’t just a product. It was a proof point that the government can deliver simple, elegant services that work. And the people who made that possible are already thinking about what comes next. The following outlines some of the key ideas, opportunities, and takeaways from the day – note, these are not comprehensive, nor are they commitments set in stone.

Specific Opportunities for Leadership

Theme	Idea / Opportunity	Description / Next Step
Narrative + Legacy for change	Direct File Playbook & Roadshow	Document how Direct File was built and share lessons with agencies and states via a “roadshow” and comms package.
	Build the Narrative	Proactively tell the story of Direct File’s success, especially user satisfaction and cost-effectiveness, to combat misinformation.
Service Delivery	Modernized Customer Support	Promote Direct File’s Live Chat model as a new gold standard for federal digital customer service.
Ecosystem Gaps	DOGE Recovery	What will it take to rebuild capacity and trust after the dismantling of Direct File and cuts to digital services?
	Benefits Integration	Use tax data to help connect people to benefits automatically or semi-automatically.
	Data Flows	Identify and improve key data-sharing bottlenecks
	Industry / Lobby Strategy	How can we anticipate and plan for the work needed for Direct File to survive private interests? How can we build interesting alliances?
	Funding the Progress	Identifying and connecting the disparate parts of this movement who want to fund this work, and who need funding to continue this work.
State + Local Momentum	State Direct File Support	Help states build or extend their own free filing tools (building on NJ/Code for America model).
	State-Federal Integration	Continue building tools that help people file state taxes after using federal Direct File.
Product + Engineering	Open Source Use + Growth	Encourage use of Direct File’s now-public codebase for other benefits or gov services.
	Componentization	Explore how to break various parts of the product into reusable components (e.g., logic, eligibility, assertion model) with documentation that can be used by other agencies.
Institutional + Regulatory	PRA Reform	Tackle burdensome Paperwork Reduction Act process bottlenecks and rules that can hinder fast, responsive service design.
	6103 Modernization	Revisit dated interpretations of tax confidentiality law to allow limited, secure data sharing.
	User Research Mandate	Push for usability testing to be required for all government digital services.
	Language Access	Start work now on high-impact translations beyond Spanish.
	Identity + Access Innovation	Prototype more flexible identity requirements for low-risk returns or refunds.
Movement + Equity	IRS Democratization	Create formal channels for taxpayer voices, especially low-income and underserved, in IRS design and policy.
	Credit Uptake Strategy	Use tax data and eligibility engines to help people get all the credits they qualify for.
	Cross-Gov Benefits Alignment	Align eligibility logic and interfaces across IRS, SSA, CMS, etc., using Direct File-style tech.

Key Resources

IRS Direct File Filing Season 2025 Report
Obtained by Center for Taxpayer Rights through a FOIA request, this report highlights the incredible results of Direct File in the 2025 filing season.

Direct File Source Code on GitHub: The source code for Direct File, currently being actively maintained by the IRS. As a work of the United States Government, this project is in the public domain within the United States of America.

Thank you

I want to thank all the participants who contributed to this important conversation. The event followed the Chatham House framework to create a free and open dialogue; the following organizations agreed to be named:

• American Economic Liberties Project
• Economic Security Project
• Groundwork Collaborative
• New Practice Lab
• Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator

Thank you to our incredible facilitators, former Direct File teammates Allison Abbott, Sam Powers, and Andrea Schneider; and civic tech leader and friend of Direct File, Erie Meyer.

And thank you to the Federation of American Scientists for hosting.

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