More than half of Americans may file taxes through Free File Alliance

Tax filing season begins on Monday and if you plan to file your taxes online, you might qualify for a program called the Free File Alliance.

Free File Alliance is an IRS program that offers 12 different tax software programs for qualifying taxpayers to use.

This program is for anyone whose adjusted gross income for last year was $64,000 or less. According to the IRS, that's about 100 million people, or 70 percent of the country. But last year, only 3 million filed through this program.

You do have to file online, but you can pick the company that best fits you.

"It does your state, it does your income bracket, if you're in the military, it'll find you a company that specializes in the military," said Tim Hugo, Executive Director of Free File Alliance. "We make it easy for you. And again, these are the same software that you use if you go down and buy it on the shelf at the corner store."

Every option provides a free federal return, and some options also offer free state returns. Each taxpayer should look at the restrictions and requirements that come with each program option.

"A student right out of school or a new worker or a working family making 64,000, we want to make it easy for you," Hugo said. "And there's no sense in having to go and do some of these other things, so it's a real easy tool and we do hope more people take it up and I hope everybody starts to use it in Missouri now."

You can file as early as Monday, January 23. You'll need an email address, a copy of last year's tax return and documents for your income and deductions.

If you make over $64,000 a year, the program offers Free File Fillable forms.

For a link to the program, go to the "additional links" box on this page.