Federal and State income tax deadlines extended, New Yorkers can still use DCWP's NYC Free Tax Prep program to file their taxes

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal and New York State government has extended this year's federal and state income tax filing deadline from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021, and State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. wants to ensure that people are aware of this change and what it means for their tax returns.

This extension by the federal and state government is automatic and it applies to both filing of taxes and payments. If you still owe taxes for 2020, you have until May 17 to pay them without any interest or penalties.

New Yorkers can have all of their tax questions answered with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s (DCWP) NYC Free Tax Prep program. Through this program New Yorkers can file their 2020 tax return for free, claim important tax credits — including federal stimulus payments — and keep their whole refund.

New York residents who earned $68,000 or less in 2020 may qualify for free tax preparation services with the DCWP NYC Free Tax Prep program. Filing your taxes online can save you time while still being both safe and reliable. Due to the pandemic, in-person and drop-off tax preparation services are extremely limited. All of these services are available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, and Russian, with others available through phone interpretation.

“This year’s tax returns may be more confusing for many people than in previous years because we received several stimulus checks from the federal government in 2020 to help us get through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Addabbo said. “If you haven’t filed your 2020 tax returns yet, I encourage you to check out some of the free options with the NYC Free Tax Prep program. If you qualify for the program, you can have your taxes prepared and filed for free so you get to keep all of your tax return.”

Learn more at nyc.gov/taxprep or call 311 and ask for “tax preparation assistance.”