Tax season is upon us and if you haven't filed yet, you could be eligible for some free help from New York state. 

If you're filing taxes on income of $69,000 or less, you're in luck. New York state offers free tax filing services. But for workers like J.J. Buchner, the goal is to help people learn how to do it themselves.

"A lot of the services we provide, the public tends to pay more than what they would need to pay to do their taxes," he said. "You have the ability to do it yourself."

Filers of any income can call the state's hotline for assistance in filing their taxes at 518-457-5181. And for those who meet the income threshold, there's free tax preparation software available at the tax department's website. 

The state also has physical locations, like the one in the Empire State Plaza concourse in Albany. Tax and Finance Commissioner Mike Schmidt says the goal this year is to get more people to take advantage of free filing services.

"There are millions of people who are eligible for free file in New York state," he said. "Last year we had 150,000 people utilize it. That's a good number, but we'd like that number to go up."