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The average cost of hiring an accountant to do your taxes is $273, while a national tax preparation company such as H&R Block will set you back $154 on average. You can cut your tax-preparation expense dramatically by using commercial software to do your own taxes, which costs about $69 for the average tax return.

However, if you made less than $64,000 in 2016, there's an IRS program that could allow you to use top-selling tax-prep software absolutely free.

According to a survey by personal finance website NerdWallet, more than one-third of U.S. taxpayers who make less than $50,000 per year hire a tax professional or a national tax prep company.

IRS Free File can help you maximize your tax refund. Image Source: Getty Images.

However, thanks to the IRS Free File program, these people may qualify to do their taxes absolutely free with well-known software like TurboTax and TaxAct.

If your adjusted gross income (AGI) for 2016 was $64,000 or less, you qualify for the IRS's Free File program. Depending on your income, age, state of residence, and tax situation, you'll have at least one free software option you can use, and probably more. According to the IRS, this includes 70% of all taxpayers -- meaning that 100 million people are eligible to do their taxes for free.

As of this writing, there are a dozen software programs listed on the IRS Free File website, although not all of these are available to all taxpayers who meet the sub-$64,000 income requirement. Each individual program has its own requirements to qualify for a free return. Some will also allow you to file your state return for free, while there is a fee involved with others.

Here's a quick guide to the software programs that participate in Free File, and the requirement of each. Or, you can input your information and see all of your options with this IRS tool.

Program

Income Requirement (AGI)

Other Requirements

1040.com Free File Edition

$58,000 or less or eligible for EITC

Age 52 or younger

Free1040TaxReturn.com

$64,000 or less

Age 70 or younger

Not a resident of FL, NV, TN, TX, or WA

TaxSlayer

$63,000 or less

Age 52 or younger

TurboTax All Free

$33,000 or less or eligible for EITC

None

eSmart Free File Edition

$64,000 or less

Ages 18 to 54

FileYourTaxes.com

AGI between $9,000 and $64,000

Ages 15 to 65

H&R Block Free File

$64,000 or less or eligible for EITC

Ages 17 to 50

FreeTaxUSA IRS Free File Edition

$51,000 or less

Ages 17 to 60

ezTaxReturn.com

$64,000 or less

Must reside in: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, GA, IL, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, OH, PA, VA, or WI

TaxAct Free File

$52,000 or less or eligible for EITC

Age 56 or younger (all ages if eligible for EITC)

Online Taxes at OLT.com

AGI between $13,000 and $64,000

None

1040NOW.NET

$64,000 or less

Must reside in: AL, AR, AZ, CA, GA, IA, ID, IN, KY, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NY, OK, OR, RI, SC, VA, VT, or WV

Or age 60 or younger and a resident of: CO, CT, DE, HI, IL, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MT, NE, NJ, NM, OH, PA, UT, or WI

Data Source: IRS.

Before you get started, be sure to gather the following information:

It may seem silly to pay for tax preparation if you don't have to, but that's exactly what millions of Americans do.

Check out the IRS Free File program if you make less than $64,000. You may be surprised at how easy some of these software programs make doing your own taxes, and it could put extra money in your pocket when your refund arrives.

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Do Your Taxes for Free In 2017 -- Here's How - Motley Fool

OhioMeansJobs in Williams County is set to unveil a new, free program aimed at helping employers find the right candidates for hirings and promotions at a free event set for Tuesday.

The program will be revealed at the Williams County Economic Development Corporation (WEDCO) roundtable discussion which will center on ProveIt!, an assessment testing program.

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Follow this link:
Ohio Means Jobs to demonstrate free employee assessment software - The Bryan Times (subscription)

Erin Toney

Contributing Writer

Everybody has been there, staring in confusion at a Microsoft Word document after typing their name, phone number and email address, said Cherish Gehret, Career Services career counselor. What now? What else goes on the resume? What categories should be included? What is relevant and irrelevant?

As Gehret puts it, building a resume can be tough, especially for students who have not had to build one before. Students may search for resume templates and come up blank with ideas. They may wonder why their resume is not as extensive as the ones found in a search and become discouraged.

Career Services offers help not only reviewing resumes but also creating them. While online resume submission is allowed, it is encouraged to schedule an appointment.

Face-to-face appointments tend to be more detailed and gives the student an opportunity to ask more questions and gain more information, said Gehret.

Career Services uses Optimal Resume, which is free to all students, that has templates pre-loaded that are more relevant.

This free software offers multiple cover letter and resume templates that students can just plug their information into and then download to a Microsoft Word documents, said Gehret. It is very easy to access and utilize. There is no need for students to recreate the wheel by creating their own templates when Career Services already has them for you.

Gehret said that while there are some rules and recommendations, there is no template or format that is the absolute statute.

Some applications require a cover letter along with a resume. Career Services also assists students in building a cover letter.

After having their resume and cover letter reviewed, students should then consider a mock interview to help them ease their nerves before a job interview.

By nature, interviews tend to be somewhat uncomfortable experiences for most individuals, said Gehret. Most human beings get nervous before an interviews, sometimes to the point of yucky sweatiness, noticeable shaking and even sickness.

Mock interviews help students go into an interview prepared and confident.

Mock interviews should be treated like an actual interview, meaning the students should show up prepared, wear proper attire and arrive early.

Preparation is key, and mock interviews are a huge part of that, said Gehret.

Mock interviews are not just professional mock interviews; they can also be an academic mock interview.

One of the best pieces of advice I can give to students regarding both resume and interview prep is clich but true: be honest, be confident and be yourself, said Gehret.

To get more tips and pointers on resumes, cover letters and interview preparation, visit Career Services Resumes & Interviews, or call 918-444-3110.

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Career Services utilizes free software to aid in creating and updating resumes - The Northeastern

By Phil Sneiderman

A research team from the United States and Canada has developed and successfully tested new computational software that determines whether a human DNA sample includes an epigenetic add-on linked to cancer and other adverse health conditions.

In the Feb. 20 issue of the journal Nature Methods, team members from Johns Hopkins University, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, and the University of Toronto detailed their promising new method of detecting the presence of an extra mark on DNA called cytosine methylation.

Cytosine is one of the four main genetic building blocks, or nucleotides, that make up DNA. Methylation simply refers to the presence of a biochemical group attached to a nucleotide, in this case cytosine. This altered version of cytosine can affect the way important genes are switched on or off. Such genetic miscues can play havoc with healthy activity within cells.

Team members tested DNA samples from human breast cancer cells and successfully detected changes in methylation between cancer and normal samples

Examining these marks is important to researchers who are trying to pin down methylation's precise role in various health problems. But current methods of mapping methylation each have stubborn shortcomings, such as harsh handling of the DNA sample and the need to use particularly large and pre-treated tissue samples.

The new software described in Nature Methods is used with a commercially available nanopore sequencing device. The authors say this technique will directly characterize DNA methylation from smaller tissue samples.

"We show that with careful analysis of nanopore sequencing data, we can extract this extra layer of information," said lead author Jared T. Simpson, a principal investigator in the informatics and bio-computing program at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Toronto.

Image caption: The researchers used this nanopore sequencing device and new software to find DNA methylation marks that have been linked to cancer and other illnesses.

Image credit: Will Kirk / Homewood Photography

The international team's software is designed to work with an Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION sequencer, roughly the size of a large USB thumb drive. When this unit is used, DNA is pulled through 512 extremely small holes, as an electric current passes through. Distinctive changes in the current as the DNA moves through the hole allow the software to identify the sequence of the DNA, and now the methylation marks on the DNA as well.

In their paper, the researchers said they first used synthetically methylated DNA to "train" their software to distinguish between methylated cytosine and cytosine that lacks the crucial biochemical attachment.

Team members then tested the software process on DNA samples derived from human breast cancer cells and successfully detected changes in methylation between cancer and normal samples.

"This technique can read long pieces of DNA and see changes in the extent of methylation in the sample," said Winston Timp, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins who supervised the research and was senior author of the journal article. "It let us look at how the changes in methylation appear on individual molecules as they pass through this pore."

Such information is important, the researchers say, because faulty methylation is believed to play a role in birth defects and diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, as well as cancer.

"We already know," Timp said, "that methylation changes show up early in the development of cancer."

He said more information about DNA methylation could be helpful in devising new ways to detect cancer at an earlier stage, or in developing new treatments that are targeted more precisely to a patient's genetic makeup.

To help advance such research, the team members have made their nanopore sequencing software for detecting DNA methylation available on a free, open-source basis.

"We've taken this line of research a critical step further ahead," Timp said. "My hope is that others in this field will begin using the software right away."

Originally posted here:
New gene sequencing tool could aid in early detection, treatment of cancer - The Hub at Johns Hopkins

This is the best free tax software for 2017. You can use this free online tax software to do your own taxes in no time and without any hidden fees.

Do you make less than $100,000 and get a W-2 for your income? If you answer yes to those questions you can file a 1040 EX or 1040A for your 2016 taxes without paying to file your taxes.

Read: Are Online Tax Apps Safe?

The 2017 Tax deadline is April 18th, not April 15th like you are used to. You can file federal taxes free and state taxes free with free tax software and apps from well-known tax preparation companies. After you file, use this guide to check your tax refund status.

If you have to pay in, check out the best apps to make money fastand the best budget apps to keep you on track.

The best free tax software and apps you can use in 2017.

These are the best free tax software options that you can use online, without spending money on software. Doing your own taxes is easy, especially if you work a normal 9 to 5 job and get a W-2 for your taxes. Even if you have student loans, this is something you can do on your own, for free. Here are the best free tax software tools and apps;

If you made less than $64,000 in 2016 (after payments for alimonyor contributions to an IRA) you can use the IRS Free File Software to do your taxes without paying.

You can start using the free tax software, and if you discover along the way that you need to upgrade to a paid tool because of investments or other income, you can do that without losing your progress.

You can file your taxes free if you file a 1040EZ or 1040A using all of these tax software tools. The tools are online, so you dont need to download and install anything. You can use your PC, Mac, iPhone, Android or iPad.

After you file your federal and state taxes you will need to fill out a simple form for your local taxes. This is often very easy to do once you have the numbers from your federal taxes.

TurboTax Absolute Zero is a popular free tax software option.

You can use TurboTax Absolute Zero to file your federal and state taxes free of charge. There are no hidden fees or costs to this, so you wont get tothe end and see that you need to pay to actually use the software. You need to meet these requirements to use the free Turbotax tool to prepare and file your federal and state taxes in 2017;

If this sounds like you, then you are able to get started online right now. You can use your iPhone or Android to take a picture of your W-2 and get a head start on your refund. This tool works with the Earned Income Credit and you can use self-help tools and tap into the Turbotax community with other questions.

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Best Free Tax Software for 2017 - Gotta Be Mobile