New York State Taxpayer Rights Advocate Camille Siano Enders today reminded New Yorkers with incomes below $57,000 that they can file their state and federal income tax returns at no cost – but they must file through the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance’s Web site - www.tax.ny.gov.

Many taxpayers try to file through other sites, such as those hosted by software companies or the Internal Revenue Service, and are surprised when they are charged for their New York return.   All too often, the charge isn’t made clear until the end of the process – after the taxpayer has entered all of their tax information.

“One of the main goals of my administration is to save taxpayers money whenever and wherever possible,” Governor Cuomo said.  “The fees charged by software companies are not always made clear in advance.  Visit the State Tax Department’s Web site to ensure you don’t incur unexpected fees.”  

Taxpayers whose adjusted gross income was $57,000 or less in 2012 can use New York’s “Free File” program to file both their state and federal returns.  There are several commercially-available software programs available at no cost from the Tax Department’s Web site.

“More than half of the taxpayers in the state – more than 5 million people – are eligible for Free File,” noted New York State Taxpayer Rights Advocate Camille Siano Enders. “The software is very user-friendly and can be accessed from any personal computer with Internet access.”

“This tax season, we encourage New Yorkers to be aware of misleading advertising when it comes to tax preparation software,” said New York Secretary of State Cesar A. Perales, whose New York Department of State includes the State’s Department of Consumer Protection. “To ensure that New York tax filers aren’t caught off-guard by fees after they’ve already entered their tax information, we urge those who are eligible to use Free File from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance website.”

Monday, April 15 is the deadline for filing income taxes.

For more information

• Governor Cuomo Encourages New Yorkers to Use Free Tax Assistance at Over 400 Statewide Locations
• Learn more about the New York State Taxpayer Rights Advocate