Our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program and its volunteers continue to offer free tax preparation services for individuals making less than $54,000. In addition to preparing returns for tax year 2015, our volunteers provide the following services:
- Check status of tax refunds due
- Provide assistance in securing Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN)
- Prepare amended and previous years tax returns
- Provide follow up assistance to letters received by taxpayers from IRS and State of Kansas
- Assist in making payment arrangements with IRS and State of Kansas
- Referrals to free legal assistance (if eligible)
Last Friday, our VITA Volunteer Bill Deckert, assisted Jodi G. with her amended return. Jodi profusely thanked Bill for amending the return she had prepared herself, of which she only received a $10 refund. Bill was able to find a few more credits/exemptions for her resulting in additional refund of thousands of dollars.
Volunteer Susie Mize relates the assistance she provided:
“I’d like to share an experience I had this morning preparing taxes for a client at El Centro. She had already filed her 2015 return here and came back to prepare 2013 & 2014 after receiving letters from IRS.
By the time she left, she was in tears & couldn’t stop hugging me or thanking me and El Centro enough. She was so happy to be receiving over $9,000 from IRS, KS &/or MO. That is exactly how we help our community and why we do this!”