Lowell, ARK. – With tax season officially kicking off on January 31st, United Way of Northwest Arkansas and CARE Community Center is working to help hardworking families in NWA keep their hard earned money by providing FREE tax preparation and filing services. This year, individuals and families who earned less than $58,000 in 2014 will have two options when it comes to this free service.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Sites
Free tax preparation centers will be opening up throughout Northwest Arkansas beginning January 26 (view the site locations and times here). These tax centers are run by IRS certified volunteers who are trained to help find all the tax credits that individuals and families may be eligible for. These sites are ideal for people who might not know how, or feel comfortable, using the internet to file their taxes. They are also great for people who might benefit from translation services.
This year, United Way of Northwest Arkansas and MyFreeTaxes.com are making it even easier for people to file their taxes when it’s convenient for them! This secure website is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for people to file their taxes. Just like the in-person sites, this website will look for all the tax credits that someone might be eligible for. This option might be ideal for people who work during the hours of operation for the in-person sites and people who are comfortable using a computer. There is a toll-free help line in case a user has any questions or needs some assistance.
Last year, around 2,000 NWA working families and individuals had their taxes prepared through the Free Tax Service Initiative resulting in over $3.3 million in tax refunds, with the Earned Income Tax Credit accounting for $1,230,103 of that.
This year’s sponsors and funders include Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, CARE Community Center, MyFreeTaxes.com, 3B Radio/104.9 the X, 3W Magazine, Citiscapes Magazine, Celebrate Arkansas Magazine, and KNWA/Fox 24.
For more information please visit our website at unitedaynwa.org/ftsi, or call 2-1-1.