Get Free Help Preparing Your Income Tax Return

By Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach

It’s time to get busy filling out those tax returns. Mercifully, you don’t have to pore over thousands of pages of the IRS tax code, nor do you have to pay an expensive accountant in order to get your taxes done by the April 15 deadline.

If you earned roughly $42,000 or less, or if you can’t prepare you own taxes, you can get help in filling out your tax return and even claiming the EITC from a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site in your area.

The VITA Program operates nationwide, and is staffed by individuals who are trained in completing basic tax returns. You can find a local VITA site by calling 800-829-1040. Most of the country’s 12,000-plus VITA sites are run out of community agencies, neighborhood centers, libraries and schools.

Here is what the IRS recommends you bring to a VITA site to have your tax returns prepared:

• ID: Proof of identification
• SS cards: Social Security Cards for you, your spouse and dependents and/or a Social Security Number verification letter issued by the Social Security Administration
• DOB: Birth dates for you, your spouse and dependents on the tax return
• Tax forms: Current year’s tax package if you received one
• W2: Wage and earning statement(s) Form W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, from all employers
• 1099: Interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099)
• Last return: A copy of last year’s federal and state returns if available
• Bank info: Bank routing numbers and account numbers for Direct Deposit
• Daycare info: Total paid for daycare provider and the daycare provider’s tax identifying number (the provider’s Social Security Number or the provider’s business Employer Identification Number)