U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging New Yorkers to file their taxes electronically to quickly access major anti-poverty provisions in the American Rescue Plan like the now fully refundable Child Tax Credit, which will provide annual payments of $3,600 for children under 6 years old and $3,000 for those between the ages of 6 and 17, and an expanded Earn Income Tax Credit (EITC) available to more low-income earning families. Across New York state, 87% of children under the age of 18 would benefit from the expansion of the Child Tax Credit alone.
“Finally, everyone can get the full value of the Child Tax Credit, including low-income families who have shouldered the worst of the pandemic and need relief quickly,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The American Rescue Plan’s expansion of the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit together form the sharpest and timeliest tools we have to arm families against poverty. I am urging New Yorkers to take advantage of the newly available financial boost they need to take care of their children and themselves during a major public health crisis.”
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Child Tax Credit alone will help 3.5 million New York state children under 18 years old.
Background on available help for New Yorkers:
● Free tax filing assistance sites are available to help people prepare and file tax returns. In addition to the VITA Locator Tool, which searches for free return preparation sites by Zip Code, you can search for free tax preparation sites by State and County or Zip code using this link – VITA / TCE / AARP Sites (irs.gov). The VITA Locator Tool can also help New Yorkers find free online appointments for tax preparation help. Some locations are online and others are in-person, depending on the location.
● If a VITA or TCE site is not available in your area, IRS encourages people to try the IRS Free File program. The Free File program allows most people to use commercial online software, at no cost, to prepare and electronically file their tax return. On the Free File home page, users can browse the full list of online offers to pick the one that best fits their needs.
● Free online tax help for military service members, families & some veterans: Military OneSource’s tax service MilTax, provides online software for eligible individuals to electronically file a federal return and up to three state returns for free.
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