Treasury Department Turns to Social Media, Elizabeth Warren, Hasan Minhaj and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Promote Free IRS Tax Filing Tool

On his Netflix series “Patriot Act,” Hasan Minhaj once laid in to TurboTax. Now he’s teamed with Sen. Elizabeth Warren to promote an alternative filing option for taxpayers as the April 15 deadline approaches.

Last month, the IRS and Treasury Department partnered on the launch the Direct File Pilot Program, which provides an option for taxpayers in 12 states to file basic income tax returns directly with the IRS rather than through an alternative online service. The program is being tested in a dozen states this year with the goal of rolling it out nationally next year. about 19 million taxpayers have the option of using the pilot program this year.

Warren (D-Mass.) posted a video collaboration with Minhaj April 9 on X, formerly known as Twitter, to promote the new option for people who don’t file complicated itemized returns.

“During tax season, (TurboTax) takes advantage of innocent taxpayers like yourself,” Minhaj says in the video.

When Minhaj suggests their joint launch of a website called “TurboTaxSucksAss.Sucks,” Warren steps in to say that they’re “not going there.”

“Look, I go after TurboTax, and probably more than anybody, but I am a United States senator,” Warren says in the video. “So, I’ve got a better idea. What if we do ‘DirectFileKicksAss.'”

The two URLs direct users to the official IRS informational page about the Direct File program. about 19 million taxpayers may be able to use the tool this filing season.

U.S. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) also took to X to show her support for the program, posting a video with Wally Adeyemo, deputy Treasury Secretary, that was shot in the Bronx. New York, California and Florida are among the states participating in the pilot test.

“I urge New York residents with simple tax needs to take advantage of this free tool to save valuable time and money this year,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

She also shared a TikTok last month, a day after the program was made available, explaining the tool. The video is a part of her “Government Hacks” series on the platform, which gives viewers insight into ways the federal government can help them.

“(online services) take a lot of your money to file your taxes,” Ocasio-Cortez said in the post. “And that really sucks.”

She continued to explain that “tax-friendly companies” lobbied Congress to prevent a free, direct filing option with the IRS for years, until the Direct File Program was made available last month. There is also a Spanish-language version of the tool.