Re: OT: VPN question

[rhkramer@gmail.com]

On Sunday, January 25, 2026 12:37:15 PM Bigsy Bohr wrote:

> I went to the IRS Free File page for this year (I'm very late to this

> party, but whatever) and one of the sites is inaccessible from here

> (France).

 

Two things to be aware of:

 

* I'm not clear on the details, but the capabilities or availability of the "real" free tax app is being restricted since Trump took office (and last year, iiuc (I didn't use it) it was restricted to 5 or so specific states). So, even if it was still available, you might not be able to use it if your residence is France. (By "real" I mean the one that the IRS started to roll out under Biden and is, afaik, not associated with any commercial tax preparer.)

* The other free filing apps, listed on an IRS page, lead you to commercial tax preparers (e.g., HR Block) which start out free for very simple returns, but quickly become paid services (require payment) with very little complication. I had in the past tried some of those, both for myself and a friend with very little complication -- her (and my) return quickly required payment so I reverted to doing my (and her) taxes by hand.

 

> Browser times out; pings never reach it. Oh well. I don't feel like

> paying for a proxy or VPN in order to access a free opportunity. If you

> see what I mean.