As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 20, 2012

Registration No. 2-98790

811-04345

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933	x
Pre-Effective Amendment No.	¨
Post-Effective Amendment No. 34 and	x
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940	x
Amendment No. 34 (Check appropriate box or boxes)	x

PUTNAM TAX-FREE INCOME TRUST

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

One Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109

(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code

(617) 292-1000

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)

¨ immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

x on December 20, 2012 pursuant to paragraph (b)

¨ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

¨ on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

¨ 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

¨ on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.

If appropriate, check the following box:

¨ this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

ROBERT T. BURNS, Vice President

PUTNAM TAX-FREE INCOME TRUST

One Post Office Square

Boston, Massachusetts 02109

(Name and address of agent for service)

Copy to:

JOHN W. GERSTMAYR, Esquire

ROPES & GRAY LLP

Prudential Tower

800 Boylston Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02199-3600

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Amendment to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Boston, and The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on the 20th day of December, 2012.

Putnam Tax-Free Income Trust on behalf of

Putnam AMT-Free Municipal Fund

Putnam Tax-Free High Yield Fund

By: /s/ Jonathan S. Horwitz, Executive Vice President, Principal Executive Officer and Compliance Liaison

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Amendment to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

Signature	Title
Jameson A. Baxter*	Chair, Board of Trustees and Trustee
Robert L. Reynolds*	President and Trustee
Jonathan S. Horwitz*	Executive Vice President, Principal Executive Officer and Compliance Liaison
Steven D. Krichmar*	Vice President and Principal Financial Officer
Janet C. Smith*	Vice President, Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer
Liaquat Ahamed*	Trustee
Ravi Akhoury*	Trustee
Barbara M. Baumann*	Trustee
Charles B. Curtis*	Trustee
Robert J. Darretta*	Trustee
Katinka Domotorffy*	Trustee
John A. Hill*	Trustee
Paul L. Joskow*	Trustee
Elizabeth T. Kennan*	Trustee
Kenneth R. Leibler*	Trustee
Robert E. Patterson*	Trustee
George Putnam, III*	Trustee
W. Thomas Stephens*	Trustee

By: /s/ Jonathan S. Horwitz, as Attorney-in-Fact December 20, 2012
	*  Signed pursuant to power of attorney filed in Post- Effective Amendment No. 33 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 28, 2012.

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