28 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL 5, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
You still have time to
file your taxes for free
The New York State Department of
guide you through the tax preparation
free software anytime from their computer,
Taxation and Finance announced on
software and e-filing process—the most
smartphone, or tablet at www.tax.
Monday, April 2, that eligible New York
secure and efficient way to file.”
City taxpayers have two dozen additional
Taxpayers with adjusted gross household
opportunities to take advantage of free
incomes of $66,000 or less in 2017
tax filing assistance ahead of the April 17
may use free, user-friendly software at
filing deadline.
these assistance sites to electronically prepare
A schedule of dates, times, and locations
and file both their state and federal
is available online at www.tax.ny.gov/fsa.
tax returns. Tax Department experts
To ensure a smooth filing experience at
will be available at each site to help New
the Facilitated Self-Assistance (FSA) site,
Yorkers through the filing process at no
the webpage also includes a checklist of
charge.
key documents taxpayers need to bring
They’re also able, at certain locations,
with them.
to assist taxpayers in multiple languages,
“This free service puts tax filing at
including Arabic, Bengali, Chinese,
your fingertips,” Acting Commissioner
Haitian Creole, Italian, Japanese, Korean,
of Taxation and Finance Nonie Manion
Russian, Spanish, and Urdu.
said. “Tax Department staff will be at each
Eligible taxpayers don’t need to visit a
location to answer questions and help
site, though: they can also access and use
ny.gov (search: freefile2017).
The tax preparation software helps
reduce filing errors that can delay
return processing and refunds. It also
prevents valuable credits from being
overlooked.
E-filing is safer and more efficient than
sending paper returns through the mail.
About 92% of all personal income tax
returns in New York are electronically
prepared and filed. All returns, whether
filed electronically or on paper, undergo
the same systematic review.
File ahead of the April
17 deadline
The deadline to file 2017 tax returns
and pay any tax due is Tuesday, April
17, rather than the traditional April 15
date. That’s because April 15 falls on
a Sunday this year and Emancipation
Day—a legal holiday in Washington,
D.C.—will be observed on that
Monday, which pushes the nation’s
filing deadline to April 17. Under the
tax law, legal holidays in the District
of Columbia affect the filing deadline
across the nation.
If you can’t file by April 17, apply for
an extension of time to file. An extension
doesn’t provide more time to pay taxes
owed. You must still pay the properly
estimated tax you owe by the original due
date of the return.
From the NYS Department of Taxation
and Finance
tax tips
/www.tax
/fsa
