Free Tax Prep 1/13/15

Did you know you can get your income tax return prepared and filed for free at any one of 19 United Way of King County sponsored tax sites throughout King County from now through April 18^th?  

In addition to getting help filing your taxes, you may be eligible to receive a refund from the Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable tax credit for working people with low and moderate incomes. This year, the maximum EITC credit you can receive as a single adult with no dependents is $496, or $3,305 with one qualifying child, $5,460 with two qualifying children and up to $6,143 with three or more qualifying children.

The free tax preparation service will be provided by IRS trained multilingual volunteers, and electronically filed for a fast refund.  Free tax preparation is available to households who make less than $60,000 and need basic individual tax returns. Free tax prep allows low-income people to keep more of their hard-earned money and avoid paying unnecessary fees for commercial tax preparation and "rapid refund" loans.

Multilingual tax preparers are available at several sites to serve customers who do not speak English. You don’t need an appointment!  Sites operate on a drop-in basis and no appointments are set. Many sites get very crowded, especially during January and April so you should arrive as close to the site’s opening time as possible for the best chance of getting served. People who arrive later may not be able to see a volunteer.

You must bring the following items:

• Your Social Security card or ITIN for you and anyone else on your tax return. No exceptions can be made.
• Your photo ID (and your spouse’s photo ID if filing jointly) and
• All tax documents and paperwork needed to complete your tax return such as W-2 form, 1099 form, Social Security income form, etc.

You may also need to bring:

• Child care provider information and
• A record of higher education expenses

You also might want to bring:

§  Bank account number and routing number if you’d like to set up direct deposit for your tax return and

§  A copy of last year’s tax return to speed up your filing process.

Note: If you are filing jointly with your spouse, you both must be present to e-file.

For more information, and to find a location near you, simply dial 2-1-1 from any phone in King County (this is a free call, even from payphones) or 800-621-4636.  Tell the 2-1-1 operator that you want information about free tax preparation services. Or TEXT the word TAX and your 5-digit ZIP CODE to 313131 or e-mail EITC@uwkc.org or go online to www.uwkc.org/taxhelp.