Free Tax Preparation Services

I want to let you know how you can get your income tax return prepared and filed for free at any one of 16 United Way of King County sponsored tax sites throughout King County up until April 17.

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 $464, or $3,094 with one qualifying child, $5,112 with two qualifying children and up to $5,751 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 those who make less than $50,000 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. Being financially stable reduces the risk of becoming homeless. 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. Please arrive early for the best chance of being served. You can also sign up for certain public benefits like food stamps, and learn about opportunities to make the most of their tax refunds by opening or expanding savings accounts or putting a portion of their refund into a U.S. Savings Bond.

Here is the list/map of free tax preparation sites in king County.

For more information, simply dial 211 from any phone in King County (this is a free call, even from payphones) and tell the 211 operator that you want information about free tax preparation services. Or TEXT the word TAX and your 5-digit Zip Code to 57682 or e-mail EITC@uwkc.org or visit the free tax prep website unitedwayofkingcounty.org/taxhelp.