File Free program helps taxpayers get full refund

Kelcy Dolan
Posted 2/25/15

With tax season upon us, U.S. Rep. James Langevin and U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse met at the Manton Heights Community Center in Providence last Tuesday morning to encourage eligible Rhode Islanders …

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File Free program helps taxpayers get full refund

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With tax season upon us, U.S. Rep. James Langevin and U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse met at the Manton Heights Community Center in Providence last Tuesday morning to encourage eligible Rhode Islanders to use Free File.

Free File, a public-private partnership between tax preparation software companies and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), offers free filing of both federal and state taxes with a safe and easy online program.

Rhode Island is one of 20 states sponsoring Free File and the program comes at no cost to the government.

Langevin said, “This program helps Americans get the refunds, the money they are entitled to.”

He said that in these “difficult economic times,” Americans need to reap all the rewards of tax refunds and can do so by taking advantage of Free File.

“Free File is a way to take off the stress that comes with the guesswork and confusion of filing taxes,” Langevin said.

The Free File program is designed to help users navigate through the filing process simply, as to ensure that users file for all that they are eligible for, one such credit being the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Whitehouse said that those eligible for the EITC are more than likely to benefit from it.

He explained that nearly 84,000 families across the state qualify, but that only 80 percent of those families file. Those families that do, average over $2,000 in refunds.

“That’s nearly $50 million out there and waiting to be brought back into the Rhode Island economy, for our working families,” Whitehouse said. “The refunds waiting can help our citizens through this rough economic period.”

Meg Chevalier, a senior tax specialist for the IRS, said that as struggling families have to make tough financial decisions, Free File could help them receive the most in refunds alleviating some of that stress.

She said, “This program is a way to help everyone. Families can use that money to put more food on the table.”

Neil Downing, chief revenue agent for the Rhode Island Division of Taxation, mentioned how the state can benefit from these refunds because the money families are getting back in refunds can go right back into the economy.

General Treasurer Seth Magaziner said, “People need to reclaim the money that is owed to them when it can be most impactful, when our economy needs it most. We need that money in Rhode Island.”

The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), a non-profit that works to improve information accessibility, sponsored the event.

Dave Macklin from CCIA assured that by using Free File directly through the IRS, users know their information is secured.

He said the Free File program is a “computer safety zone.”

“We are in a time of scammers who are claiming themselves to be the IRS,” Langevin said. “This program is a way to avoid those scammers, to know who you’re dealing with.”

Those eligible for Free File are making $60,000 or less a year.

The Free File program can be accessed several different ways, on www.tax.ri.gov and search for “free File” or through the IRS website at www.irs.gov/freefile. Similarly CCIA has a Free File website, www.taxprephelp.org.

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