NEW YORK CITY — New Yorkers with an IDNYC card can get their taxes done for free at dozens of sites across the city if they fall within a certain income range, the city announced.
Families earning less than $54,000 per year or individuals without children who earn less than $30,000 per year are eligible for free tax filing at one of the 200 in-person locations citywide, according to the Department of Consumer Affairs.
The IDNYC cards can also be used to open a free bank account as part of a push by the city to get New Yorkers to tuck away their refunds.
“Tax season is a very crucial moment for many families with lower and moderate incomes as their refund is often one of the largest checks they’ll receive all year,” said DCA Acting Commissioner Alba Pico. “We encourage New Yorkers… to know that they can use their IDNYC to file their taxes for free and they can also use tax time as an opportunity to save and open a bank account using their IDNYC.”
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and AARP will provide tax preparation services at more than 200 sites across the five boroughs. New Yorkers can drop off their tax documents at any of the VITA sites to be completed by an IRS-certified preparer. Additionally, New Yorkers earning $62,000 or less can file their tax returns for free online.
For low-income, working New Yorkers, Earned Income Tax Credit claims average $2,400 and can be worth as much as $8,247, the DCA said. However, only one in five eligible residents claim their EITC credits, totaling tens of millions of dollars.
The city is also encouraging New Yorkers to open bank accounts in order to save their tax refunds. The IDNYC can be used to open accounts at 13 banks across the city. In 2013, 11.7 percent — or 360,000 — of New York City households did not have bank accounts, surpassing the 7.7 percent national average, according to a DCA report.
The New York City ID card, or IDNYC, can be used for discounts at everything from museums and zoos to concert halls.
