Oregon Deparment of Revenue Offers Free E-Filing Tips

2006 federal and state income-tax returns are due on April 17th.

Salem-News.com

(Salem) - If you haven't used free electronic filing to file your personal income taxes because it still seems a little scary, the Oregon Department of Revenue wants to help.

The Revenue department, in partnership with tax software companies, offers qualifying Oregon taxpayers free e-filing of federal and state returns. "There are so many e-filing products out there, and so many places to start, it's easy to get overwhelmed," said e-filing coordinator Stacey Weeks.

"We urge taxpayers who are new to e-filing to start at our website. We provide descriptions of and links to companies that provide free e-filing."

The companies do have some restrictions. For example, most of the approved participating software companies require that your adjusted gross income (AGI) be less than $50,000.

"We encourage electronic filing because it's fast and taxpayers who have refunds coming usually get them in seven to 12 days. However, we don't support or recommend any software company or product," Weeks said.

To see if you qualify for free e-filing, visit www.oregon.gov/DOR/ESERV/freefile.shtml.

"If you want to file for free, our website is your first stop," she said.