Residents have two options to file their taxes for free this year. United Way of San Luis Obispo County and United Ways of Santa Barbara County are continuing MyFreeTaxes.org online tax preparation software and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.
Individuals or families with a combined gross income of $60,000 or less qualify to use MyFreeTaxes.org to file their own state and federal taxes free of charge. The easy to use online tool was created by H&R Block and is sponsored by Walmart. Residents can save an average of $200 by filing income taxes using this service.
In person coaching and assistance for MyFreeTaxes.org users are available at the Paso Robles YMCA on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. beginning Jan. 31, 2015 and continuing through March 14, 2015. The YMCA is located in Centennial Park at 600 Nickerson Drive. Special thanks to Ride-On for providing transportation for volunteers to the MyFreeTaxes.org coaching site.
Computers with internet access are available at America’s Job Centers of California, located at 880 Industrial Way in San Luis Obispo. The public may use these computers free of charge to file their taxes online at www.MyFreeTaxes.org on Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
United Way and Cal Poly State University will also offer free VITA tax preparation for low to moderate- income individuals and families from Feb. 8, 2015 through March 22, 2015. Qualified households include those with total earnings under $53,000. All returns at VITA sites are prepared by certified volunteers and reviewed by certified tax preparers. These trained community volunteers may help with special credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled. In addition to free tax return preparation assistance, they will also offer free electronic filing (e-filing). Individuals taking advantage of the e-file program will receive their refunds in half the time compared to returns filed on paper – even faster when tax refunds are deposited directly into one’s bank account.
The VITA site is located at the San Luis Obispo County Business and Career One-Stop at 1800 E Grand Ave, Grover Beach. Appointments are available on Saturdays between 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Call (805) 922-0329 x 103 to schedule an appointment.
Participants should bring their Social Security card or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, last year’s tax return, W-2s and other tax related documents, including childcare expenses and health insurance coverage information, and a bank routing information for a direct deposit.
In 2014, San Luis Obispo County and Northern Santa Barbara County VITA sites brought in over $419,000 in Earned Income and Childcare Tax Credits to the area. Almost 2,000 local returns were filed at the VITA sites or online using MyFreeTaxes.org software.
More information is available online at www.unitedwayslo.org and www.myfreetaxes.org.