{"id":121956,"date":"2026-02-03T22:52:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T22:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/121956\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T22:52:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T22:52:10","slug":"mayor-mamdani-joins-dcwp-and-nyc-health-hospitals-to-launch-free-tax-prep-services-for-new-yorkers-caribbean-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/121956\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Mamdani joins DCWP and NYC Health + Hospitals to launch free tax prep services for New Yorkers \u2013 Caribbean Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Mayor\t\t<\/a>\t<\/p>\n

Mayor of the City of New York Zohran K. Mamdani, center, with Assembly Member Monique Chandler-Waterman, left, and owner of the Hills Restaurant Doris Rodney, after a 2025 walkabout in Little Caribbean in Brooklyn.\n<\/p>\n

Photo by Tangerine Clarke<\/p>\n

\t\tMayor of the City of \u00a0New York Zohran K. Mamdani, on Feb. 3, joined the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), NYC Health + Hospitals, and MetroPlusHealth to kick off the 2026 tax season by announcing free, in-person and virtual tax preparation services for New Yorkers as part of DCWP\u2019s NYC Free Tax Prep<\/a> initiative.<\/p>\n

The mayor\u2019s office said, \u201cLast year, 110,000 returns were completed through NYC Free Tax Prep, saving New Yorkers an average of $346 in tax preparation fees per return and approximately $38.2 million citywide.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, the administration is focused on pairing the free tax preparation program with compliance in the paid tax preparer industry to protect all New Yorkers from unfair fees, sketchy loan products, and other deceptive corporate activity. This will include a citywide sweep of paid tax preparer locations to ensure they are following the law, as well as compliance notices warning paid tax preparers of the City\u2019s ban on illegal overcharging and hidden fees.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers shouldn\u2019t have to jump through hoops or pay outrageous fees just to file their taxes,\u201d said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. \u201cThrough NYC Free Tax Prep, our administration is working across agencies to deliver exactly that\u2014helping New Yorkers file for free, receive the tax refunds they\u2019re owed, and avoid hidden fees and tax scams.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NYC Free Tax Prep program is available to anyone who lives or works in New York City and who earns $97,000 or less annually and files as a family, or those who earn $68,000 or less annually and file as an individual or couple without a dependent, making half of all New Yorkers eligible for the program.<\/p>\n

Services are now available at over 140 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites across the city.\u202fVolunteer providers are equipped to connect filers with assistance for their questions about managing student loan debt.<\/p>\n

New Yorkers can call 311 or visit nyc.gov\/TaxPrep<\/a> to use DCWP\u2019s interactive map<\/a> to find the most convenient free tax site near them, including at NYC Health + Hospitals and MetroPlusHealth sites.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo New Yorkers: protect your budget and skip pricey paid tax preparation if you can. Our knowledgeable preparers will ensure you get your full refund and all credits you may be eligible for, like the recently enhanced Empire State Child Tax Credit,\u201d<\/a> said DCWP Commissioner Sam Levine. \u201cThis tax season, DCWP is ramping up efforts to protect New Yorkers from sketchy tax scams. And, as student loan borrowers face unprecedented confusion due to harmful policies at the federal level, NYC Free Tax Prep has never been more important,\u201d said Levine.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinancial stability is a fundamental contributor to overall health and well-being,\u201d said NYC Health + Hospitals Vice President and Chief Population Health Officer Nichola Davis, MD, MS. \u201cSince 2018, we have scaled our partnership with NYC Tax Prep from a single pilot site to 15 locations in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy helping our patients secure free filing and tax credits, we are reducing some of the financial stress that often stands in the way of good health,\u201d said Davis.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers should not have to choose between spending money on tax preparation services or rent, food, or childcare,\u201d said Council Member Harvey Epstein. \u201cAs Chair of the Consumer and Worker Protection Committee, I applaud the Mayor and the DCWP\u2019s initiatives to help thousands of low-income New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers can once again access free, in\u2011person tax preparation at select MetroPlusHealth community offices, along with virtual support from trained volunteers,\u201d said Dr. Talya Schwartz, President and Chief Executive Officer of MetroPlusHealth. \u201cFor many working families, no\u2011cost tax assistance can have a meaningful impact. MetroPlusHealth remains deeply committed to helping provide essential services \u2014 from helping individuals enroll in quality health insurance to offering free tax preparation. Whether someone requires comprehensive guidance or just a bit of support, our team stands ready to help them successfully file their taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGotham Health is proud to participate in the NYC Free Tax Prep initiative and to offer this vital service directly in our health centers across New York City. We believe access to high-quality care must also include access to the financial resources that support healthier lives,\u201d said Michelle Lewis, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals\/Gotham Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe encourage eligible New Yorkers to schedule an appointment and take advantage of free support to file accurately and claim the credits and refunds they have earned,\u201d said Lewis.<\/p>\n

NYC Free Tax Prep services include:<\/p>\n

*In-Person Tax Preparation: At in-person tax prep sites, knowledgeable Internal Revenue Service (IRS) certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) volunteer preparers help filers complete an accurate tax return. More than 140 sites across all 5 boroughs will be open throughout the season.<\/p>\n

*Drop-Off Service: With drop-off service, filers can drop off their tax documents and pick up the completed return later.<\/p>\n

*Virtual Tax Preparation: Virtual Tax Preparation is an online service where an IRS-certified VITA or TCE volunteer preparer will video conference with filers to help prepare their tax return using a secure digital system. Filers can submit photos or scans of tax documents to the preparer, confirm their identity, and complete their return by video call with a preparer. Filers will need access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone, a stable internet connection, and the ability to download secure video-conferencing software.<\/p>\n

*Assisted Self-Preparation: Assisted Self-Preparation allows filers to complete their tax return online on their own, and an IRS-certified VITA\/TCE volunteer preparer will be available by phone or email to answer questions. Filers will need access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone; a stable internet connection; an email address; and their 2024 adjusted gross income or self-select PIN.<\/p>\n

The IRS began accepting tax returns on Jan. 26 and will accept returns through April 15, 2026, though many NYC Free Tax Prep sites remain open year-round to assist late filers, help with prior-year returns, and support small business owners and self-employed filers with quarterly and annual tax filing requirements. This year, taxpayers face fewer no-cost filing options following the elimination of the IRS Direct File program, making access to trusted and accurate free tax assistance more critical than ever.<\/p>\n

Select NYC Health + Hospitals sites offer support in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Urdu, and virtual tax preparation is available in Spanish as well. When a site does not have on-site language capacity, preparers will use an IRS-approved Over-the-Phone Interpreter (OPI) service to support the appointment and any language needs.<\/p>\n

NYC Free Tax Prep for Self-Employed New Yorkers:<\/p>\n

NYC Free Tax Prep for Self-Employed Filers provides free tax preparation services tailored to the needs of gig workers, freelancers, and small business owners who often face barriers to filing taxes and managing financial recordkeeping. In addition to providing annual and quarterly estimated tax filing preparation assistance, workshops, and one-on-one consultations, we help the growing number of New Yorkers who perform gig and freelance work to learn the basics of tax filing and recordkeeping best practices as self-employed filers.<\/p>\n

To be eligible for tax preparation services for self-employed filers, New Yorkers must have business expenses of $250,000 or below. New Yorkers can find a site with these specially trained tax preparers by selecting \u201cSelf-Employed\/Schedule C Assistance\u201d on the\u202fNYC Free Tax Prep Map site finder<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Paid Tax Preparers:<\/p>\n

Consumers should also be on alert for predatory tax preparers who overcharge, charge hidden fees, or file returns without permission. Beware of preparers promising a \u201crapid refund\u201d or \u201cfast cash\u201d that hide the fact that a Refund Anticipation Loan is a loan. To that end, DCWP is issuing compliance notices to tax preparers across the city this month, warning them to comply with New York City consumer protection laws<\/a> that ban overcharging and hidden fees.<\/p>\n

The City encourages eligible filers to file for free with NYC Free Tax Prep, but consumers who use a paid tax preparer should ask the preparer for the\u202fConsumer Bill of Rights Regarding Tax Preparers<\/a>\u202f(additional languages available) and read it carefully before having their taxes prepared, according to the Office of the Mayor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mayor of the City of New York Zohran K. Mamdani, center, with Assembly Member Monique Chandler-Waterman, left, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121957,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":{"0":"post-121956","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-the-bronx","8":"tag-bronx","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-nyc","12":"tag-the-bronx","13":"tag-the-bronx-headlines","14":"tag-the-bronx-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}