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News-Leader staff 6:05 a.m. CT March 1, 2017

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The Internal Revenue Service reminded the millions of taxpayers who have yet to file their taxes that IRS Free File remains available either online at IRS.gov/FreeFile or through the mobile app, IRS2Go. The IRS2Go app is available for Android and iOS devices.

The IRS Free File service makes brand-name tax software products and electronic filing available to most taxpayers for free. Some products offer both free federal and free state return preparation.

The IRS has developed a series of tips, the Tax Time Guide, to help taxpayers navigate common tax issues as this years April 18 deadline approaches. This is the second in a series of 10 tips.

Taxpayers have the option to prepare their return at any time and schedule a tax payment as late as the April 18 deadline. Taxpayers who cannot meet the April tax filing deadline can also use IRS Free File to request an automatic six-month extension until Oct. 16.

Anyone who earned $64,000 or less last year qualifies to choose from among 12 software products. Those earning more than $64,000 can use IRS Free File Fillable Forms, the electronic version of IRS paper forms. The Fillable Forms option is best for people who are comfortable preparing their own tax returns.

More than 70 percent of all taxpayers 107 million people plus are eligible for the software products. Each of the 12 companies has its own special offers, generally based on age, income or state residency. Taxpayers can review each company offer or they can use a Help Me tool that will find the software for which they are eligible.

Active duty military personnel with incomes of $64,000 or less may use any IRS Free File software product of their choice without regard to the criteria. IRS Free File software does the hard work. It walks users through the tax preparation processand helps identify those tax changes that may affect their return.

IRS Free File allows taxpayers to deposit all or part of their refunds into myRA, a free starter retirement savings account from the Treasury Department. Just use Form 8888 or follow the software products instructions.

IRS Free File will be available through Monday, Oct. 16, only through IRS.gov/FreeFile.

All taxpayers should keep a copy of their tax return. Beginning in 2017, taxpayers using a software product for the first time may need their Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) amount from their prior-year tax return to verify their identity. Taxpayers can learn more about how to verify their identity and electronically sign tax returns at Validating Your Electronically Filed Tax Return.

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Use Free File for help with tax returns and extensions - Springfield News-Leader

The Indian state of Kerala is saving three billion rupees (approximately $58.6 million) each year by using free and open source software for school education, a government official says.

Kerala made IT a compulsory subject in 2003. FOSS was introduced gradually in 2005 and slowly replaced proprietary software, according to a report from the India Abroad News Service.

The curriculum committee decided later to implement the use of FOSS in the higher secondary sector and that has also been completed.

IT@school was set up as a government project to direct the implementation.

He told IANS that licences for proprietary versions of similar software would have incurred a minimum cost of Rs 150,000 per machine.

"Hence, the minimum savings in a year (considering 20,000 machines) is Rs 300 crore (three billion rupees or $58.6 million)," Sadath said.

"It's not the cost saving that matters more, but the fact that the Free Software licence enables not only teachers and students but also the general public an opportunity to copy, distribute and share the contents and use it as they wish," he said.

The GNU General Public Licence gives people the right to copy and share software. All changes made have to be also disclosed in the event that the software is distributed. The licence was created by the chairman of the Free Software Foundation, Richard Stallman.

Stallman has visited Kerala many times and inaugurated the Indian chapter of FSF in the city of Trivandrum in 2001.

Link:
Indian state saves $58m annually by using free software - iTWire

It's kind of appalling what you don't know about filing your own tax return.

The Internal Revenue Service started the nation's tax season when it began accepting electronic tax returns at the end of January. More than 153 million individual tax returns expected to be filed in 2017. The first refunds claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) start arriving this week.

"For this tax season, it's more important than ever for taxpayers to plan ahead," says IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. "People should make sure they have their year-end tax statements in hand, and we encourage people to file as they normally would, including those claiming the credits affected by the refund delay. Even with these significant changes, IRS employees and the entire tax community will be working hard to make this a smooth filing season for taxpayers."

Granted, the IRS makes it a bit difficult for taxpayers to keep things straight by tweaking the process each year. This year, it's going to be particularly tough for folks who don't save their prior-year tax returns. If you're changing tax filing software or tax preparers this year, you're going to need the adjusted gross income from your 2015 tax return in order to file electronically -- as the Electronic Filing Pin is has been eliminated to prevent filing fraud.

Some changes, however, have more immediate benefits. This year, you don't have to file your federal tax return until April 18 this year, thanks to April 15 landing on a Saturday and Washington, D.C.'s Emancipation Day celebration taking place on Monday, April 18. That gives you some time to work out a plan of attack, if you haven't already, and find some places to cut into this year's tax return.

Continue reading here:
Your Ignorance of IRS Rules and Free Tax Software Is Costly - TheStreet.com

Q:We bought a new Lenovo laptop with Windows 10 but NO Word program. Is there a FREE similar Word program for download? ~ Dee Borries, Lakewood

Tech+ Microsoft has long charged for Word (and Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) as part of its Office software line. But sometimes new PCs come with the software as a bonus so you may not remember paying for it.

Today, the suite is called Office 365 and starts at $6.99 a month. Theres also a downloadable home/student version for a one-time charge of $149.99. Teachers and students can get Office 365 Education for free by signing up at dpo.st/studentoffice.

Afew years ago, Microsoft put Word and other tools in the cloud and began offering light-weight online versions for free as a response to Google Docs, which is also online and also free. Differences are noted on this official Office page, atdpo.st/officediff.

If youre not a heavy-duty Word user in need of super formats and you dont mind working in an internet browser, there are several software services similar to Word that are available online. Some links:

And now for the Tech+ newsletter update: Were still taking sign ups while my colleagues get the design and distribution ready. Sign up for the (future) weekly e-mail if you want to get this Q&A delivered to your inbox, plus anything else I think readers might find interesting: dpo.st/mailbag

See past Tech+ answers or ask your own tech question at dpo.st/mailbag. If youre e-mailing your question, please add Mailbag to the subject line.

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Microsoft Office isn't free but there are free alternatives, including one from Microsoft - The Denver Post

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.

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