FAIRMONT – Getting ready to do your taxes doesn’t have to be a taxing proposition, Casey Gilbert will tell you.
In fact, said Gilbert, who is community impact director of Tygart Valley United Way, you just might come away with some additional money in your refund you may not realize is yours to begin with.
Today is national Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day, Gilbert reports – and that’s an endeavor between the United Way and Internal Revenue Service designed to ease some of the fiscal burden that comes with filing.
As many as one in five eligible taxpayers across the country qualify for the credit, Gilbert said.
However, she adds, there’s a big dollar difference between qualifying and knowing about the credit in the first place.
Tygart Valley’s Volunteer Tax Assistance program – or, VITA, as it is known – can take untouched money out of the coffer and put it into your bank account, she said.
“On average, eligible filers received around $1,400 in the earned credit last year,” she said. “In total, this credit alone was responsible for returning over $200,000 to taxpayers served by our VITA program.”
In the meantime, she said, low-to-moderate-income households can receive free tax preparation services through the program at Tygart Valley United Way. Volunteers assisting with work are all IRS-certified, she said.
To claim the earned income credit, a person must complete a federal income tax return, she said, even those not required to file otherwise.
Call Tygart Valley United Way at 304-366-4550 to schedule an appointment.
In addition to individual residents and households, the organization headquartered in Fairmont supports 42 programs run by 30 health and human service endeavors – and all fanned out across Marion, Taylor, Barbour, Tucker and Randolph counties.
