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Low- to moderate-income families and individuals will have the opportunity to file their taxes for 2020 thanks to the support of our team of volunteers. Customers will be able to claim lost or missing Economic Income Payments, and ensure that they have the best support and resources to make good choices in how use those refunds.

Some of the topics that our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) team are reviewing in preparation for this season are Unemployment Income, Economic Income Payments (EIP) and Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC).  Our volunteers and staff keep up to date about the newest changes and additions to tax rules and programs.  For example, did you know that Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits are taxable, even though those benefits do not count as earned income?  This means that many of our service workers and others who were laid off due to business closures from COVID and received UI benefits may see a reduction in their EITC, thus reducing their normal refund. If an individual did not elect to have taxes withheld from their UI benefits, they may see an increase in the 2020 taxes that they owe.

One hot topic this past year has been the Economic Impact Payment or stimulus check.  Many folks have had difficulty obtaining their check or attempting to correct errors in what they received.  Last year, our VITA team helped community members scramble to file “non-filer taxes” to obtain their EIP payment.

Albert Einstein said, “The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax.”  Our team is prepared to answer those hard questions and ensure that every family and individual will receive the money that  they are due when we help them file their taxes, in February 2021.

If you are interested in helping with our 2021 tax season, please contact our main office at 541.673.4909 and you will be connected to our team.