accessibility features of Direct File emphatically and streamlined the process.”

appreciated that the product was designed for their

needs. A Spanish speaker said, “Que lo hice en español. Sí hablo inglés, pero prefiero

español para estar más seguro que lo estoy haciendo bien.” (I did it in Spanish. I do speak

English, but I prefer Spanish to be more confident that I am doing it right.) A taxpayer with

accessibility experience wrote, “I design many forms for my job and conduct accessibility

audits of them, and this entire experience just made my heart leap for joy. A few years ago, I

was brought nearly to tears the first time I filed my taxes with paper forms. Since then, I've

studied a range of best practices and standards for easily usable and accessible online form

design, and this Direct File system nailed every single one of them. I am so beyond

impressed, and I sincerely hope this program continues and expands in the future.”

20

Taxpayers who did not like their experience of Direct File sometimes attributed their answer to

one of the reasons described below, or they encountered a bug while preparing their return.

Others appear to have answered in accordance with negative views of taxes or the IRS

generally.

How tax filing can be improved

When asked how their experience could be improved, taxpayers who used Direct File

sometimes identified confusing parts of the tax filing experience.

Taxes remain an often difficult topic for many, and taxpayers pointed to items they found

confusing. One said they would want to see “more explanation of the financial jargon used.

Most Americans (including me) have low financial literacy. And on the box 12 options explain

that there may be multiple and what they are for maybe.” Boxes 12 and 14 on the W-2 were a

frequent source of confusion, and Direct File shipped a revamp of these questions on April 9,

2024. One taxpayer, who used Direct File before these improvements, said, “When entering

the amount from W-2's box 12, verbiage isn't clear on adding an amount box. That is the only

thing that wasn't clear.” Some taxpayers realized their own error, but these cases can identify

opportunities for better content and additional validation. A taxpayer wrote, “The estimated tax

question was confusing. I initially thought it meant the amount taken out of each check, but I

was able to figure it out because we had already entered that amount.”

Many taxpayers described identity proofing during the sign-up process as easy. But others

experienced issues completing this step or disliked the idea of having to do it. A taxpayer said,

“The selfie and facial recognition did not work. After 2 tries I had to do the live video agent

which took longer.” Another wrote, “I almost didn't use Direct File because I am not used to this

level of security. The free tax filing service I usually use does not require any photo [ID] or a

selfie.” And some taxpayers noted concerns about the accessibility of the experience, such as

one blind taxpayer, who said, “Being blind it’s hard to find the right spot to look and open my

eyes enough to take the photos needed.” But taxpayers also understood the value of security

protections, with one saying, “I liked the facial identity and verifying my driver's license. I felt

very secure with that safety measure.”