UNION — USC Union will once again provide free tax preparation services for qualified taxpayers as part of the IRS’ Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
Brittany Hanvey, administrative assistant with USC Union’s Continuing Education program, said Wednesday that the service will be offered at the Founders House at 122 N. Church St., Union, beginning in February.
“We are the VITA site for Union County,” Hanvey said. “We will be doing the taxes for anyone who makes under $51,000 a year for free. We do not do taxes for businesses. We only do them for families and individuals.”
Hanvey said the service will be provided Wednesday mornings beginning February 6.
“This year we will be doing this from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every Wednesday from February 6 until April 10,” Hanvey said. “We have to wait until February 6 because by law all tax documents have to be mailed by the 31st of January. You have to have your W-2s by January 31. So we just start the following week.”
Hanvey said that while the tax preparation services are free, they are by appointment only. She said that persons who make an appointment to have their taxes done should bring with them their W-2s and any and all other tax documentation as well as identification such as a driver’s license.
The IRS website (www.irs.gov) states that through the VITA program “IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals in local communities. They can inform taxpayers about special tax credits for which they may qualify such as Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled.”
Hanvey said that all the tax preparers at USC Union have been certified to provide the services listed under the VITA entry on the IRS website.
“We have seven tax preparers and everyone is either an employee or a student at USC Union,” Hanvey said. “We are all volunteers and we are all IRS-certified for basic income tax return preparation.
“Everything we do is electronic,” she said. “We print a copy for the client but we submit it electronically to the IRS.”
For more information and/or to make an appointment to have your taxes prepared at the USC Union Founders House call 429-8728, ext. 7742.
Carlisle
In addition to offering free tax preparation at the Founders House, USC Union will also provide it at the Carlisle Town Hall from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 7.
This will also be by appointment only and will only be for those who make $51,000 a year or less.
Anyone wanting to have their taxes done that day at the town hall must call 427-1505 to make their appointment.
This will be the third year in a row that the town has offered this service in cooperation with USC Union.
Editor Charles Warner can be reached at 864-427-1234, ext. 14, or by email at cwarner@heartlandpublications.com.
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