You can’t (legally) avoid paying taxes you owe, but you can avoid paying hefty fees to tax professionals and software companies to help complete your tax return.
That’s because there’s a plethora of free resources available, especially for low and moderate-income taxpayers as well as taxpayers 60 and older, to help you file your taxes free.
For instance, anyone who lives or works in New York City whose family income was under $80,000 last year or under $56,000 for individual filers qualifies for a wide range of free tax preparation services regardless of their immigration status.
That includes in-person and virtual appointments with Internal Revenue Service-certified volunteer preparers. And for the first time, some tax prep centers across the city are providing free tax assistance for self-employed people. The city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection commissioner, Vilda Vera Mayuga, who is overseeing the initiative, said it is the first free tax prep program for self-employed people in the country.
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“The amount of money people can save from not using paid preparers is huge,” Mayuga told USA TODAY. “We really want everybody to have every single cent they are entitled to and not give it to anyone else.”
But the closer April 18 gets, the less likely you are to get an appointment for free tax prep services like the ones offered in New York City.
Here’s what else you need to know about free tax prep services:
VITA and TCE
Two of the IRS’ biggest free tax prep programs are Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance is geared toward people who make less than $60,000 a year, have a disability, or have limited English proficiency. Tax Counseling for the Elderly is for people 60 and older who often need assistance with retirement and pension-related questions.
The IRS oversees both programs, which are operated by partners across the country, such as New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and staffed by IRS-certified volunteers.
“All VITA/TCE volunteers who prepare returns must take and pass tax law training that meets or exceeds IRS standards,” the IRS said in an online post. “This training includes maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of all taxpayer information.”
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“You don’t get worse quality or fewer services just because this happens to be free,” Mayuga said referring to New York City’s free tax preparation services.
You can find your nearest VITA or TCE center by entering your ZIP code here.
The IRS recommends bringing your Social Security card, photo ID, and wage and earning statements (namely any W-2s or 1099 forms you received from your employer or employers), among other items.
To learn more about the services these centers provide (and don’t provide) be sure to check out this IRS flyer.
IRS Free File
Prefer to work on your taxes from the comfort of your own home? In that case, IRS Free File is the service you’ll want to use this tax season.
IRS Free File has a higher income cap, $73,000, than Volunteer Income Tax Assistance but provides less one-on-one attention. IRS Free File grants you access to online guided tax prep software to complete your federal income tax return and in some cases your state income tax return as well.
There are seven tax software companies, including TaxACT and TaxSlayer, that are part of the Free File Alliance that offer these services. According to the Alliance’s site, more than 68 million returns have been filed this way since 2003.
Click this link to learn more about the program and how to start using it.
If you earned more than $73,000 last year, you can’t take advantage of the free IRS services but the agency has a consolation prize of sorts: free online fillable tax forms.
TurboTax Free Edition
TurboTax offers a limited amount of free tax preparation services geared toward “taxpayers with simple returns only,” said Lisa Greene-Lewis, a certified public accountant at TurboTax. A simple tax return is one that can be filed using a 1040 income form “without having to attach any forms or schedules,” she said.
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With the free edition, you can claim the Child Tax Credit as well as the Earned Income Tax Credit and deduct student loan interest but you won’t be to claim more complex credits and deductions that require you to complete additional forms. Additionally, you can’t use the free edition if you’re submitting an itemized return.
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Elisabeth Buchwald is a personal finance and markets correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on Twitter @BuchElisabeth and sign up for our Daily Money newsletter here
