(NEXSTAR) — Tax season is back again, which means it's time to collect your W-2 and Form 1098, and Form 1099s and start filing. While there are a slew of tax services and professionals that can help you file, for a fee, you may qualify to use a new tax filing program from the Internal Revenue Service.

Launched last year, Direct File is meant to give you step-by-step assistance and live support — all for free.

Initially, the IRS made Direct File available only to government employees in 12 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington State and Wyoming. It was later made available to private-sector taxpayers.