Visit VITA
The IRS offers free help for qualified individuals who need help with their taxes. If your annual salary is $58,000 or less, you have a disability, or aren’t fluent in English, you can get free basic tax return preparation through the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, also known as VITA. You will need to review the prerequisites to make sure you qualify and read up on the services VITA provides to make sure you don’t ask for any help they do not offer. With VITA, you’ll be spending 45 minutes with someone who is trained in tax law and certified by the IRS. If you need more information, the IRS website has a page dedicated to VITA services and a link to VITA sites.
TCE (Tax Counseling for the Eldery)
The IRS also offers help to senior citizens age 60 or above with its Tax Counseling for the Elderly program (TCE). The TCE is very similar to VITA only it focuses more on issues that affect seniors, such as pensions. If you think you need the TCE’s help, the best place to start is by visiting the IRS website and making sure you qualify for the service. If you do, you can use their Locator Tool to find the nearest TCE site near you or call 888-227-7669.
Use Free File Software
A good option for free filing software is the website myfreetaxes.com. It’s brought to you by United Way. If you meet the prerequisites you can take advantage of this service.
Take Advantage of Your PFCU Membership
If you don’t qualify for free tax preparation assistance, you can still get a discount on tax preparation software if you’re a member of PFCU. Our members get discounts on trusted tax preparation software from TurboTax and H&R Block.
