Updated September 2026
The most useful free IRS resources are your IRS Online Account, the Online Payment Agreement tool, the Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier and the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Together they let you see what you owe, set up a payment plan, test settlement eligibility and get help when the IRS system stalls, all without paying anyone. The twelve resources below are grouped roughly from checking your account, to resolving a balance, to getting free human help.
-
IRS Individual Online Account
Your Online Account is the starting point for almost any IRS problem. Per IRS.gov, you can view the balance owed by tax year, see up to five years of payment history, make or schedule payments up to 365 days ahead, and apply for or change a payment plan.
- Read digital copies of IRS notices and download transcripts.
- Get an Identity Protection PIN.
- Approve and e-sign a power of attorney request from a tax professional.
You’ll need photo identification to create an account.
-
Online Payment Agreement (payment plans)
You can set up an IRS payment plan yourself online. Per IRS.gov in September 2026, individuals can apply for a short-term plan (180 days or less, no setup fee) if they owe less than $100,000, or for a long-term monthly plan if they owe $50,000 or less in combined tax, penalties and interest.
Long-term plans carry a setup fee that is lowest for online, direct-debit plans and waived for low-income taxpayers. Penalties and interest continue until the balance is paid. See our installment agreement page for how the plan types compare.
-
Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier
Before paying anyone to file an offer in compromise, run the free IRS Pre-Qualifier. It uses your income, expenses and assets to tell you whether you are likely eligible and to build a preliminary proposal, per IRS.gov.
The IRS’s 2026 Dirty Dozen list warns about “OIC mills” that sell offers to people who don’t qualify, and points taxpayers to this tool first. If the tool says no, a payment plan or other option is usually the better path. Our offer in compromise page explains how the process works.
-
Get Transcript
IRS transcripts show what the IRS actually has on file: returns, payments, penalties, and the W-2 and 1099 data reported under your name. You can view, print or download them immediately in your Online Account, per IRS.gov, or order them by mail with Form 4506-T or 4506-T-EZ; mailed transcripts arrive in 5 to 10 calendar days.
Transcripts are the first thing a competent representative will ask for. Pull them yourself before any consultation so you know the real balance and which years are affected.
-
Taxpayer Advocate Service
The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is an independent organization within the IRS, and its help is free, per IRS.gov. It can help individuals and businesses when an IRS problem is causing financial hardship, when you’ve tried and failed to resolve it through normal channels, or when an IRS system isn’t working as it should.
- Request help on Form 911 or call 877-777-4778.
- There’s a local office in every state, DC and Puerto Rico.
TAS is most useful when a deadline or a levy is close and the regular IRS line isn’t getting you anywhere.
-
Low Income Taxpayer Clinics
Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITCs) can represent you before the IRS or in court on audits, appeals, collection matters and other disputes, for free or a small fee, per IRS.gov. They are partly funded by the IRS but independent of it; their staff are not IRS employees.
To qualify, your income must be under the clinic program’s published guidelines, and the amount in dispute is typically under $50,000. Publication 4134 lists clinics and the languages each one serves. Clinics also run education for taxpayers who speak English as a second language.
-
VITA and TCE free tax preparation
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free return preparation to people who generally make $69,000 or less, people with disabilities and limited-English-speaking taxpayers, per IRS.gov in September 2026. Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) focuses on people 60 and older and on pension and retirement questions.
Find a site with the VITA locator on IRS.gov or by calling 800-906-9887. AARP Tax-Aide, part of TCE, has its own locator. Filing an accurate return on time is the cheapest way to stop a balance from growing.
-
IRS Free File
IRS Free File lets you prepare and e-file your federal return with guided software from IRS partner companies if your adjusted gross income is $89,000 or less, per IRS.gov for the 2026 filing season. Free File Fillable Forms are available at any income level, but they do limited math and don’t file state returns.
If you can’t file by the deadline, IRS.gov notes that Form 4868 extends the time to file to October 15. An extension to file is not an extension to pay.
-
Interactive Tax Assistant
The Interactive Tax Assistant answers common tax law questions after you pick a topic and enter basic facts. Per IRS.gov, topics include filing requirements, filing status and dependents, retirement distributions, deductions, credits, international taxpayer questions and estimated tax payments.
The IRS says your answers are anonymous and aren’t stored, shared or used for anything else. It’s a quick way to check a rule before you rely on something you read online. It won’t tell you what you owe; your Online Account does that.
-
Tax Withholding Estimator
If you owed at filing time, the Tax Withholding Estimator is the tool that helps stop it from happening again. Per IRS.gov, it estimates how much your employer or pension provider should withhold, using your latest pay stubs and, if you have other income or itemize, your most recent return.
At the end, you can download a pre-filled Form W-4 or W-4P to give your employer or pension payer. Run it again after any job change, marriage, new child or new side income.
-
Where's My Refund and the IRS2Go app
Where’s My Refund shows your refund status around 24 hours after you e-file a current-year return, 3 or 4 days after e-filing a prior-year return, and about 4 weeks after you mail a paper return, per IRS.gov.
The free IRS2Go app, in English and Spanish, checks refund status without signing in, links to all IRS payment options and helps you find free filing help such as Free File and VITA. Download it only from the official Apple and Google stores.
-
Taxpayer Bill of Rights (Publication 1)
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights, written into the tax code at IRC §7803(a)(3) and summarized in IRS Publication 1, lists ten rights. They include the right to be informed, to pay no more than the correct amount of tax, to challenge the IRS’s position and be heard, to appeal in an independent forum, to finality, to privacy and confidentiality, and to retain representation.
Quote the relevant right when you write to the IRS. It won’t erase a balance, but it frames your request in the IRS’s own terms.
When free tools aren’t enough
These resources handle most simple cases. Paid help tends to make sense when a levy or garnishment is already under way, when several years are unfiled, when the balance is above what online plans allow, or when you need an offer or appeal prepared. If you are comparing paid options, our guides to payment plan help services and tax relief companies include the free routes alongside the firms. Global Gate Tax Relief offers a free consultation at 1-877-800-8180.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Individuals who owe $50,000 or less in combined tax, penalties and interest can apply online for a long-term plan, and those who owe less than $100,000 can request a short-term plan of 180 days or less, per IRS.gov in September 2026.
Yes. TAS is an independent organization within the IRS and charges nothing. Request help on Form 911 or call 877-777-4778.
Sign in to your IRS Individual Online Account. It shows your balance by tax year, your payment history and any payment plan, and lets you download transcripts.
If your income qualifies, a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic can represent you before the IRS for free or a small fee. The Taxpayer Advocate Service can also help if the problem is causing financial hardship or normal channels have failed.
Run the free IRS Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier before paying anyone. It gives a preliminary answer based on your income, expenses and assets.
Related guides and services
Sources
- IRS: Your online account
- IRS: Online Payment Agreement application
- IRS: Payment plans (installment agreements)
- IRS: Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier
- IRS: Offer in Compromise
- IRS: Dirty Dozen tax scams for 2026
- IRS: Get Transcript
- IRS: Taxpayer Advocate Service
- IRS: Low Income Taxpayer Clinics
- IRS: Free tax return preparation for qualifying taxpayers (VITA/TCE)
- IRS: Free File
- IRS: Interactive Tax Assistant
- IRS: Tax Withholding Estimator
- IRS: Refunds / Where's My Refund
- IRS: IRS2Go app
- IRS: Taxpayer Bill of Rights
Not sure which option fits?
Talk it through with a licensed tax professional. The consultation is free and there is no obligation.
This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice. Tax rules and IRS procedures change; check the linked IRS sources or speak with a licensed professional about your situation. Individual results vary.