Every year in Washington State, low-and-middle income individuals and families struggle to pay the bills and keep food on the table. Tax time can make an unstable situation even worse with low-income Washingtonians being disproportionately impacted by the most regressive tax system in the nation coupled with costly tax preparation fees, which are often upwards of $300.

But every tax season, across the country, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers people a free alternative to more costly tax preparation services. VITA free tax preparation services are offered by local IRS-certified volunteers and are closely monitored by the agency, giving them a far lower error rate than many self – and paid-tax preparation services.

United Way of King County has proudly operated our local VITA program, referred to as the Free Tax Preparation Campaign, for over thirteen years. Starting as only a few tax site locations, the program has expanded to be county-wide with 24 locations and leverages the skills and talents of over 900 multi-lingual, trained, and IRS-certified volunteers. In 2015, the Free Tax Preparation Campaign prepared 19,900 tax returns, securing $27 million in refunds to the community. This year the Campaign is aiming to serve even more low-and-middle income households than ever before.

Spread the word about this incredible free service and connect even more low-and-middle income families and individuals to these financially stabilizing resources.  To find your nearest tax site and what to bring, visit www.uwkc.org/taxhelp. Free tax prep is also available online for households making less than $62K at www.myfreetaxes.com.

Originally written by United Way of King County, https://www.uwkc.org/financial-stability/4148/