•The AARP Tax-Aide program is offering free tax preparation services from Feb. 1 through April 17. The program expects to have more than 150 volunteers staffing 50 sites statewide, including senior centers, libraries and other public locations, and estimates that it will help about 10,000 people file their returns this season.

The program offers free counseling and preparation for taxpayers with low to middle incomes. It offers special attention to those 60 and older, but membership in AARP is not a requirement. The program also provides free electronic filing from most of its sites, said Reggie Narciso, a program volunteer from Ports-mouth.

If you want to take advantage of the program’s free tax-preparation service, bring to the site a picture ID, Social Security cards for everyone listed on the return, a copy of the prior year’s return, and any tax information you’ve recently received — such as Form W-2 wage statements and Form 1099 interest statements. To find a site near you, call the program toll-free at 1 (888) 227-7669 or use its Web site.

•The Internal Revenue Service said its taxpayer-assistance office at 380 Westminster St. in downtown Providence will offer special Saturday hours next month to assist low-income taxpayers who may not be able to obtain help during the work week. The walk-in office, normally open Mondays through Fridays, will also be open on Feb. 2, Feb. 9 and Feb. 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The additional hours are intended to help people who qualify for the federal earned-income credit, a tax break for the working poor. (In general, you may be eligible for the credit if your 2007 income was $39,783 or less.)