VITA Volunteers Click Here.

Need Assitance With Your Taxes?

Nationwide, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites play a critical role in ensuring that eligible families receive their often unclaimed Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). This free tax assistance service also helps these individuals save hundreds of dollars in commercial tax preparation fees and predatory “rapid refunds” loan fees and interest.

The EITC is the federal government’s largest benefits program for working families and EITC is arguably the most effective anti-poverty program in America. This program lifts more children and families out of poverty than any other single federal program or combination of federal programs.

EITC refunds also have a substantial impact upon the local economy. Research shows that many families receiving the EITC use it to pay for basic necessities like housing, utilities, food, and major household appliances. Research also suggests that some families use their EITC refund to make purchases or investments that can help them maintain their jobs, their homes, or to improve their employability so they have a better chance of moving into the middle class. For example, a significant share of families use part of their EITC to repair or replace a car needed to get to work, to make essential, but costly, repairs to a home, or to pay for more education or job training.

The United Way of the Greater Clarksville Region is offering the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program again this year. The program is funded in part by HUD through a grant from the City of Clarksville's Community Block Grant Program; under an agreement with the State of Tennessee, Department of Human Services; a grant from the Internal Revenue Service; a grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation; and the United Way of the Greater Clarksville Region. Approximately 25 percent of eligible families in Clarksville- Montgomery County failed to claim a large sum of money in Earned Income Tax Credit refunds.

The VITA program will begin with a kick-off at the Clarksville Montgomery County Library on January 31st with guest speaker Montgomery County Mayor Carolyn Bowers and will operate through April 15, 2011. All of the sites are manned by trained, IRS certified volunteer tax assistants. Through these trained community volunteers, the United Way of the Greater Clarksville Region and its partner VITA sites will provide free tax preparation and access to the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax credits to help working families receive the full amount of their tax returns, increase their income and begin creating savings.

Volunteers at these sites help individuals and families in the low-to-moderate income range prepare their taxes, and also offer electronic filing (e-filing) at no cost.

Click here for this year's VITA Schedule.