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Roughly One-Quarter of Onondaga County Taxpayers Eligible for Free State Filing Services

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Nearly 1/4 of Onondaga County Taxpayers are being encouraged to use the state's free tax filing services.  The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance says those with gross income under $62,000 can save the cost of hiring a preparer and file both federal and state returns at no cost at www.tax.ny.gov.

    

 

“Close to 145,000 taxpayers in Onondaga County are eligible to prepare and file their returns for free,” said New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Jerry Boone. “Yet most taxpayers hire a tax preparer or purchase tax software. We encourage Onondaga County residents with income under $62,000 to take advantage of our free, easy, and secure filing options.”

 

File online or at a free tax assistance site

 

The Tax Department’s "e-file for free" initiative allows taxpayers with federal adjusted gross income under $62,000 to access software on the Tax Department website, which walks the taxpayer through the simple filing process one step at a time.

 

Taxpayers can only be sure that they won’t be charged unexpected fees if they use the software options available from the website.

 

Onondaga County taxpayers with incomes under $62,000 are also eligible to visit one these 5 free tax assistance sites in the area:

  • Catholic Charities
    264 East Onondaga Street, Syracuse 13202
     
  • Liverpool Public Library
    310 Tulip Street, Liverpool 13088
     
  • North Onondaga County Public Library at Brewerton
    5440 Bennett Street, Brewerton 13029
     
  • North Onondaga County Public Library at Cicero
    8686 Knowledge Lane, Suite 2, Cicero 13039
     
  • Southwest Community Center
    401 South Avenue, Syracuse 13204
     
  • SUNY Education Opportunity Center
    100 New Street, Syracuse 13202 

Tax Department volunteers are available to answer questions as taxpayers use the same straightforward software available on the department’s website. Appointments are recommended, but walk-ins are accepted at many locations on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.