(Press release from the United Way of Delaware and Otsego Counties)

Taxpayers will be able to start filing their 2016 income tax starting Monday, January 23, 2017.  The Creating Assets, Savings and Hope (CASH) Coalition of Otsego and Delaware Counties has announced that taxpayers who meet income eligibility requirements will have the following options in order to be able to prepare and file their state and federal income taxes for free.

MyFreeTaxes (MFT) is a service available to individuals and families who made under $64,000.00 in 2016. This program is available for use on any home computer or public computers (www.unitedway.org/myfreetaxes) that are available for use at the following locations beginning January 23, 2017:

CDO Workforce Offices:

12 Dietz St., Oneonta, NY (8:30a.m.-5:00p.m., M-F)
21 Liberty St., Sidney, NY (8:30a.m.-4:30p.m., M-F)
1 Gallant Avenue, Delhi, NY (8:30a.m.-4:30p.m., M-F)

The following public libraries will also have public computer’s available for use with a link to the MFT site:
Village Library of Cooperstown
Kinney Memorial Library
Huntington Memorial Library
Harris Memorial Library
Milford Free Library
Worcester Free Library
Fairview Public Library
Franklin Free Library
Louise Adelia Read Memorial Library
Stamford Village Library
William B. Ogden Free Library
Sidney Memorial Public Library

Assistance with MFT will be available on the SUNY Delhi Campus.  For more information on this site, please contact Professor Adriene Clifford by email  at cliffoaa@delhi.edu or by phone at 607-746-4102 for location and times.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is available for individuals and families who made under $54,000 in 2016.  This program offers free tax preparation and filing by trained individuals under the supervision of volunteer site coordinators Jeff Weinell, SUNY Oneonta Professor and Lonnie O’Bryan, General Manager of Casella Waste Systems. Appointments are required for this program and can be made by calling Catholic Charities at 607-432-0061.

This service is provided at The First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut Street, in Oneonta beginning Saturday, January 28 and will run through April 18.   Hours of operation will be Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:00p.m.- 9:00 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

On the following Tuesday evenings, the service will be provided at the Rowe House, 31 Maple Street in Oneonta:  2/14, 20/21, 3/21, 4/4 and 4/18. In addition, representatives from local financial institutions will be on site to offer information regarding available resources for building credit using tax refunds.

For more information about the CASH Coalition of Otsego and Delaware Counties, please call Susan Kurkowski, Executive Director at United Way of Delaware and Otsego Counties,  607-432-8006 or email uwaysk@stny.twcbc.com.

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