CONSUMER ALERTS

Free tax preparation by volunteers

If you’re puzzled by the tax law, confused about which credits and deductions to take, and think you need assistance completing your tax return, you may want to visit a volunteer site.

      The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program or the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program offer free tax help if you qualify.

      Trained community volunteers can help you with special credits for which you may qualify, such as Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit, and Credit for the Elderly. In addition to free tax return preparation assistance, most sites also offer free electronic filing (e-filing). If you take advantage of the e-file program, you’ll receive your refund in half the time compared to returns filed on paper—even faster if you have your refund deposited directly into your bank account.

      Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA): VITA offers free tax help to low- to moderate-income (generally, $40,000 and below) people who cannot prepare their own returns. Certified volunteers sponsored by various organizations receive training to help prepare basic tax returns in communities across the U.S. VITA sites are located at community and neighborhood centers, libraries, schools, shopping malls, and other convenient locations. Most locations also offer free electronic filing. To locate the nearest VITA site, call 1-800-829-1040.

      Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE): Through TCE, trained volunteers from non-profit organizations provide free tax counseling and basic income tax return preparation for people age 60 and older. Volunteers who provide tax counseling are often retired individuals associated with non-profit organizations that receive grants from the IRS. As part of the IRS-sponsored TCE Program, AARP offers the Tax-Aide counseling program at more than 7,000 sites nationwide during the filing season. Trained and certified AARP Tax-Aide volunteer counselors help people of low- to middle-income with special attention to those age 60 and older.

      For more information on TCE, call 1-800-829-1040. To locate the nearest AARP Tax-Aide site, call 1-888-227-7669 or visit AARP’s website at http://www.aarp.org/money/taxaide.

            For more information on filing your taxes, including a list of the items you need to bring to the VITA/TCE sites to have your tax returns prepared and what to do if you have not received your Forms W-2 from your employer, visit the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/index.html.  You’ll also be able to download forms and publications, read up on important news and useful tax tips for filing in 2008, and find answers to frequently asked questions.