U.S. Rep. Rick Allen will meet with community leaders and the public at 10 a.m. Friday at the Statesboro-Bulloch County Library to discuss the IRS and GA Free File programs, software that helps low- and middle-income Georgia residents file their taxes online, claim all benefits and deductions to maximize their refunds.
The programs are a public-private partnershipps between the Internal Revenue Service, the Georgia Department of Revenue and tax preparation companies. Free File provides 70 percent of all taxpayers – anyone who made $64,000 or less in 2016 – commercial tax preparation software products at no cost.
Since the Free File program began in 2003, more than 48 million taxpayers have saved more than $1.3 billion in tax preparation costs. Because the companies that participate in the program donate their products, Free File comes at no cost to the government and saves taxpayers $13 million every year by encouraging e-filing versus filing paper returns.
Georgia is one of 21 states plus the District of Columbia that have formed state Free File programs, enabling eligible taxpayers to file both their federal and state tax return online at no cost.
Free File is a companion to the other IRS programs that provide reliable tax preparation to the public at no cost, specifically the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Thousands of community-based organizations offer VITA services and connect taxpayers to IRS-certified volunteers who prepare returns for individuals who earned $35,000 or less or families who earned $55,000 or less.
To access the Georgia Free File program, visit http://dor.georgia.gov and search for “Free File.” For the IRS Free File program, visit www.irs.gov/freefile or download the free IRS2Go app from Google Play, the Apple App Store or Amazon Appstore.
More information about the program is also available at CCIA’s website, www.taxprephelp.org, where taxpayers can also submit their Free File success stories.
For more information on the IRS VITA program, visit https://www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-you-by-volunteers.