Governor Terry McAuliffe, Tax Commissioner Craig Burns, Senator Bryce Reeves, Delegate Kathy Byron, and Delegate Mark Keam today urged eligible Virginians to use the IRS and Virginia Free File programs to save money at tax time.
In general, people earning $60,000 or less – 70 percent of all taxpayers – are eligible to use name-brand tax preparation software products to prepare and file their return online for free. The Governor, state legislators and officials attended a Free File briefing at the Library of Virginia in Richmond to demonstrate the program’s ease of use and other advantages.
Free File is a public-private partnership between the Internal Revenue Service and tax preparation software companies that not only provides free tax preparation assistance to eligible filers, but also comes at no cost to the government. All of the software made available through the Free File program uses a simple, interview-style format to help taxpayers identify all the credits and deductions for which they are eligible, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
Virginia is one of 20 states plus the District of Columbia that sponsors a State Free File program, allowing eligible residents to easily and accurately complete both their federal and state taxes with the trusted name-brand tax preparation software products of their choice.
“Free File is an incredible resource for eligible Virginians to receive the full amount of their well-earned tax refund,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Free File is a tremendous example of a public-private partnership that provides important services to Virginia without costing the government one dime, and in fact saves Virginians money at tax time.”
“In addition to saving taxpayers time and money, Free File provides valued savings to Virginia’s government with lower processing costs and fewer errors than manual paper returns,” said Tax Commissioner Craig Burns.
“These software products make the annual filing process quick and easy. Our hope is that every eligible person takes advantage of Free File and gets every credit and deduction they deserve this tax season,” said David Macklin of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), the organization sponsoring today’s event.
Following the briefing, community leaders participated in a demonstration to gain first-hand experience with Free File.
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