MADISON, Wisc.- As tax filing season began on January 27th, Wisconsin residents now have a new way of filing their returns.
Last year, the state was part of a pilot federal program through the Internal Revenue Service called Direct File.
This year, the online submission program is available entirely to all state residents for free.
Wisconsin Department of Revenue Secretary David Casey says Direct File works directly with states that are a part of the program.
“Once your return is filed, that data is directly sent over to WisTax, where you’ll be able to see all the prefiled data you put in with Direct File federal filing,” said Casey. “You’ll then be able to select which credits you want to claim and then hit submit. Its a simple process and most tax refunds are returned to taxpayers in a day.”
Depending on the requirements, most Wisconsin residents are qualified for using IRS Direct File at no cost, eliminating the use of tax preparation software such as TurboTax or a certified public accountant.
Communications Director for Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue Jennifer Bacon tells WTMJ that the state is offering new family tax credits this year.
“The child and dependent care credit was expanded this year,” said Bacon. “So qualifying expenses and maximum allowable credit amounts have been increased by a hundred percent of the federal allowable credit for child and dependent care credit.”
Bacon says that residents that still need help filing their taxes can do so with the help of the Department of Revenue’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs.
Last year, the IRS reported more than 161 million tax returns.
