Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)

As you know, filing a tax return can be very confusing and intimidating. For this very reason, many people use the services of a commercial tax preparer, which may cost $55 to $130. Since many tax filers would like to get their money as quickly as possible, tax preparers often persuade the filer to go for a “refund anticipation loan” (RALs) or instant refund, which can cost another $100. That means that the tax filer could already have lost up to $230 from their tax refund!

Low income workers need every penny of their tax refund and cannot afford to be losing part of it to tax preparers. However, they may not know what options are available to them.

A cost free alternative to commercial tax preparers is VITA- Volunteer Income Tax Assistance- a program run by the IRS and community based organizations. VITA volunteers are trained to fill out basic tax forms, including ones needed to claim the EITC. And the best part is that there is no charge! Many VITA sites can file tax forms electronically, which results in a faster refund.

For additional information on the VITA program in Forsyth County, watch this interview with Kindra Speech, EITC Program Manager at Experiment in Self Reliance.

Click here for a list of VITA sites in Forsyth County and their schedules, as well as a list of what you should bring to the VITA site. 

The VITA program is a real asset to low income working families, and it can help them save money by not using a paid preparer. We hope you will take advantage of this great resource in our community!