the simple files #001 · tax year 2025, filed in 2026

the 40-minute
tax walkthrough

taxes feel like a test you never studied for. but you can't fail it — because it was never a test. the form is a receipt, not a test. here's the whole thing: five steps, about 40 minutes, once a year.

before you start: the documents

• your W-2 — arrives late january, in the mail or on your payroll website. it's the answer key, not homework: your employer already sent the same numbers to the IRS.
• any 1099 forms — only if you had side income: freelancing, bank interest, brokerage. no side income, no 1099s.
• your bank account + routing number — for the refund, via direct deposit.
• last year's return — optional, speeds up the software's questions.

for most people with a normal job, that's one or two pieces of paper. total.

the five steps

1. gather ~5 min collect the papers above. that's the entire step. you've done harder things ordering coffee.
2. pick your tool ~5 min income under $89,000? you qualify for IRS Free File: real, brand-name tax software, genuinely free, linked on the actual IRS website — irs.gov/freefile. go there directly. do not google "free taxes" and click an ad — "free" in an ad has a way of becoming $89 at checkout.
3. answer the questions ~20 min the software interviews you like a very boring dating app: name, job, "did you buy a house?" no. "dependents?" probably no. it copies your W-2 numbers, takes your standard deduction automatically, and walks the tax stairs for you. the machine runs on its own.
4. check the two numbers that matter ~5 min your name spelled right, and your bank account digits correct. typos delay money.
5. hit submit ~5 min e-file, pick direct deposit, done. refunds usually land in a few weeks. then close the laptop and notice the feeling: that was the whole monster.

this year's three numbers

if you remember one thing

your job already reported what you earned — the W-2 is an answer key. everyone subtracts a big tax-free chunk, no questions asked. the stairs tax each step separately, so a raise is always worth taking. and a refund isn't a gift — it's your own change coming back from overpaying all year.

the video