File your income taxes for free.

Assistance programs like IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, and the AARP Tax-Aide help lower income families as well as the elderly file their income tax returns for free. The federal government has increased funding for the programs this year, so more people across the country can be helped, and will be able to take advantage of the service.

Learn more about free tax returns

There are a few different options that people have. They include the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program which offers free tax help and will prepare tax returns for people who earn less than $49,000. Another option is the Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program (TCE), which offers free tax help and will prepare returns to taxpayers who are 60 and older.

To apply for free tax returns from volunteers and other organizations it is recommended that taxpayers call their local community action agency. These non-profit organizations may sometimes coordinate the programs in your local community. If they are not the lead agency, they will usually be able to direct you to who to contact for more information.

Examples of the programs

Trying to navigate the income tax system can be intimidating for many people, said Katie Brown, who is the Mesa VITA volunteer coordinator. Many people are wary of doing their own taxes, she said. And some companies may send you a bill for $100 to prepare your taxes.

 

 

 

On the other hand, this free service will help those consumers who need it most keep that money.

This assistance program is volunteer-driven, and it also aims to alert people to all available tax credits that they may not have previously known about or filed for, said Heather Patel, coordinator for Apache Junction's program.

In Mesa Arizona, VITA volunteers saved almost 900 families over $1 million last year on their taxes, Brown said. And statewide, over 50,000 tax returns were filed by AARP volunteers, said state coordinator Diane Pearson.

More volunteers are needed to help do the income tax filing and help people prepare returns, Pearson said, and she also encourages bilingual people to apply. If they enjoy working with numbers and people, it is very gratifying, she said.

And maybe the best thing is that you do not need any experience with taxes because the IRS will provide free training starting in January.