Death and taxes, the saying goes. But what if tax season wasn’t just a pain or a punchline and instead was the most stressful time of the year? For people in our region working multiple jobs but still not earning enough to meet their basic needs, filing taxes can be an expensive and arduous process.
Enter United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Free Tax Prep Coalition, which completes thousands of tax returns for free each year for people making under $65,000 across Allegheny, Fayette, Westmoreland, Washington and Greene counties.
Our highly trained volunteer preparers know how to maximize refunds through the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credits, which can total 50% of a household’s yearly income. Each return prepared at one of our 23 Free Tax Prep sites also saves about $300 in tax prep fees per return.
Appointments are still available at the three Allegheny Valley Association of Churches Free Tax Prep sites in Natrona Heights and Tarentum. To make an appointment at the Allegheny Valley Association of Churches main location or at Central Presbyterian Church, call 724-226-0606. To make an appointment at Center Church of Fawn Township in Natrona Heights, dial 211. Visit www.pa211.org/vita to make an appointment online.
Emily Schmidlapp
Morningside
The writer is manager of Moving Toward Financial Stability at United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania.