Volunteers are fanning out across Tucson to help low- to moderate-income residents prepare their 2018 income-tax returns.
The United Way of Southern Arizona and Catholic Community Services are opening free tax-help sites as partners in the Internal Revenue Service’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, while AARP is offering its own program aimed at seniors.
The VITA program offers free tax preparation and electronic filing for taxpayers with 2018 annual incomes of up to $66,000.
Last year, the local VITA sites processed more than 17,000 tax returns, netting more than $25 million in tax refunds and credits, said Liz Thomey of Catholic Community Services.
The AARP Foundation, in conjunction with the IRS Tax Counseling for the Elderly program, also is offering tax-preparation help to low- and moderate-income taxpayers, with a focus on those 50 years old and older.
AARP will open 20 of its Tax-Aide sites in Tucson and some nearby communities, including three in Green Valley, and sites in Oracle, Benson and Rio Rico, in early February.
Some VITA sites are already open, and most will be open weekly through the week before the tax-filing deadline of April 15. Some offer “Valet VITA” service, where taxpayers can have their documents scanned, and then pick up the completed return at a later date, or have it sent via encrypted email.
Taxpayers are required to bring a photo ID, a Social Security card (or acceptable alternative such as a photocopy or document with valid number) for each person listed on the return; proof of income, like W-2 or 1099 tax forms; documentation of expenses; Form 1095-A for any household members with Health Insurance Marketplace plans; and dependents’ proof of income.
Recommended documents include a prior year tax return and account and routing numbers for direct deposit of refunds.
Find more information and complete listings for VITA sites at unitedwaytucson.org/freetaxhelp
For AARP Tax-Aide sites, which open in the first week of February, go to tucne.ws/aarptaxaide
