Is the sa.www4.irs.gov domain legit when you file taxes through IRS Direct File pilot?

Daniel Dassow, Knoxville News Sentinel
·3 min read

The Internal Revenue Service has a new Direct File pilot program for the 2024 tax season that allows users in certain states to file taxes directly and for free at directfile.irs.gov.

Some early users who are concerned about internet safety have noticed a quirk in the online system that caused them to question its security: When a user signs into the pilot system, the URL changes from irs.gov to sa.www4.irs.gov.

Why does the URL change and is it legit?

The Inflation Reduction Act, a major spending bill signed by President Joe Biden in 2022, allocated $15 million to the IRS to develop a free direct tax filing system online. If all goes well with the pilot program, the system could be used by millions of people in all 50 states to file taxes for free.

You can trust sa.www4.irs.gov on IRS direct file system

The URL change enhances security, IRS spokesperson Stacey Engle told Knox News, and it relates to the third-party identification software used by the IRS, which is called ID.me.

"Once a taxpayer clicks the link to sign in from the Join the IRS Direct File pilot page, they are taken to the ID.me platform to create an account or sign in to their existing ID.me account," Engle said. "That is why there is a change in the URL. After they verify their identity, they will be engaging directly with the IRS."

ID.me, a digital wallet and identity verification software, is the only one that meets the IRS's high bar for identity verification on all its online taxpayer services.

The strange-looking URL is a subdomain of the IRS site and it's trustworthy, even if it looks off. Sites that get heavy traffic will often use "www" followed by a number, which indicates that it's using several servers to spread out the demand and avoid a crash.

The "sa" at the beginning of the URL stands for "secure access." Another hint that the site is trustworthy is the "https://" at the beginning of the URL, which shows a safe connection to the ".gov" federal government domain.

You should also always see a U.S. flag and a line that reads "An official website of the United States Government" at the top of your screen as you navigate the IRS site.

Who can use IRS direct filing system?

Users of the IRS Direct File pilot system are limited to certain states, income types, credits and deductions.

Residents of 12 states can use the system: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

There are only four forms of income you can report on your 2023 federal tax return to directly file through the IRS:

  • W-2 wage income

  • SSA-1099 Social Security income

  • 1099-G unemployment compensation

  • 1099- INT interest income of $1,500 or less

You are limited to three credits on the IRS direct file pilot:

  • Earned Income Tax Credit

  • Child Tax Credit

  • Credit for Other Dependents

You are also limited to

  • Standard deduction

  • Student loan interest

  • Educator expenses

To learn more about the new system and if it's right for you, visit the IRS website.

Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: IRS direct file tax system has strange URL, but you can trust it