PayPal Introduces Free DIY Tax Filing for PayPal Debit Card Customers

New partnership with april helps customers manage tax season and jumpstart their 2026 financial reset

PayPal announced a new partnership with april, a leading embedded tax technology platform, allowing U.S. PayPal Debit Mastercard^® customers ¹ to file their 2025 federal and state tax returns² for free using april’s DIY tax filing service, saving approximately $160³ in typical costs. With this partnership, PayPal keeps financial management in one convenient destination while expanding the suite of financial tools that help customers get more out of their money.

Customers can follow a simple step-by-step flow through april’s tax engine to enter information, upload documents, and file electronically with the IRS for fast, secure processing. april delivers a frictionless filing experience that prefills information based on the data available in customer uploaded documents. For tax-filing questions, customers can use april’s AI-powered chatbot or obtain live support for a fee. Through this streamlined experience, the average time to file is less than twenty minutes and april guarantees the maximum possible refund. ⁴ With PayPal, customers can pay state and federal taxes using flexible and rewarding ways to pay, receive their federal tax refund up to five days early ⁵ or deposit refunds into PayPal Savings, a high-yield savings account provided by Synchrony Bank ⁶.

“At PayPal, we’re committed to giving our customers smarter, more rewarding ways to manage their money all in one centralized place, whether they are earning, spending, sending or saving,” said Shanthi Sarkar, VP of Debit and Money Management at PayPal. “Our partnership with april empowers customers to manage even more of their finances in one trusted place, helping them streamline tax preparation and take meaningful steps toward setting up their finances for the year ahead.”

“By connecting tax filing to where customers already manage payments, we can deliver better outcomes for both PayPal and its customers,” said Ben Borodach, CEO and Co-Founder of april.”Together with PayPal, we’re helping millions of customers simplify an essential and often complicated part of managing their finances.”

In addition to taking advantage of free DIY tax filing, PayPal Debit Card customers can also get a jumpstart on their 2026 financial goals with:

• Flexible payment options:
  • PayPal gives customers choice and flexibility to pay their taxes in the way that best suits them, including with PayPal Credit⁷, which offers 6 months special financing on PayPal purchases of $149 or more, PayPal Cashback Mastercard^®8, and PayPal Debit Card.
• Early access to refunds:
  • Customers can receive their federal tax refund up to five days early with PayPal Direct Deposit, allowing them to use it immediately across millions of retailers.
  • Customers can also enroll in PayPal Direct Deposit and route part or all of each paycheck, including through participating payroll providers, into their PayPal Balance account, with funds available up to two days early. ⁹
    
• Earn rewards:
  • With the PayPal Cashback Mastercard, customers can earn 3% cash back¹⁰ when they checkout with PayPal, even during tax season.
  • For customers spending with their PayPal Debit Card, they can earn 5% back¹¹ on up to $1,000 spend in the monthly category of their choice, such as fuel, groceries, and more.
• Earn interest:
  • Tax refunds can be transferred to PayPal Savings, a high yield savings account with a competitive APY, turning their refund into an opportunity to earn on their money.

PayPal Debit Card customers can begin to access the new april tax filing option starting today with the service rolling out to all U.S. PayPal Debit Card customers in the coming weeks.