Many families are struggling, due to these tough economic times. Filing your tax return can become expensive and can be difficult if you are not familiar with tax law or the recent tax incentive programs set forth by the government. To try and help families with low to moderate incomes on their tax returns, the IRS has joined with TurboTax to provide free e-filing services for federal taxes of qualifying families. The software is called TurboTax Freedom Edition and will also allow families in 20 states to file their state taxes for free. Visit the website below for a list of the states participating in free returns.

In order to qualify, families must meet at least one of the following requirements:

• You earned an Adjusted Gross Income of $31,000 or less
• You served in the Military, Reserves or National Guard
• You qualify for the Earned Income Credit

Visit www.taxfreedom.com to find out if you qualify for free federal tax filing services with TurboTax.

Even if you don’t qualify for the TurboTax Freedom Edition software and free e-filing, you may still be able to get your taxes e-filed for free. The IRS has information on numerous tax software companies who are allowing low to moderate incomes families file their federal taxes for free. To find out more about this program, visit the IRS freefile information page and click the “Help Me Find A Free File Company” button. Once you click the button:

• The IRS will ask you some basic information about your age, adjusted gross income, and state of residency
• Once the form is submitted, a list of of tax software companies will appear
• The requirements for free filing with each individual company will show
• Some companies will help you file your federal taxes for free and others will charge a small fee
• Many of the sites will help you file your state return also and may or may not charge for this service

So, before you pay someone to file your taxes, visit the above sites to see if you and your family can file your taxes online for free.