Alliance to help save taxpayers this season

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Tax season is here and Free File Alliance will save 70 percent of Americans money when filing taxes.

Free File Alliance has begun its seventh tax season providing millions of Americans with the opportunity to file taxes electronically at no charge. Taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $56,000 or less are eligible for the program.

"Free File provides step-by-step instructions to help take the guesswork out of doing your taxes," said Tim Hugo, executive director of Free File Alliance.

FFA has merged with 19 private tax-software companies and partnered with the Internal Revenue Service to provide free electronic tax filing. Taxpayers can find e filing offers on the IRS's Web site www.irs.gov. Three of the 19 companies offer services in Spanish.

Users are then transferred to the company's Web site, where they receive the necessary help to prepare, complete and electronically file federal income tax returns, just as they would on paper.

Taxpayers, who are unsure of what company will best suit their needs, can have one chosen for them based on income, age and state of residence.

New this year is Free Fillable Tax Forms, where individuals with knowledge of tax laws and need no preparation assistance may fill out and file income tax return forms electronically. There are no income limitations for this basic service.

Other improvements this year include "access to a standard package of electronic forms that are commonly used by Free File participants, so users can easily find the form that is right for them," added Hugo.

According to a survey conducted by the IRS, 92 percent of Americans who used the Free File service intended to use it again; 95 percent said free file was easy or somewhat easy to use; and 98 percent would recommend it to others.

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