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This tax season the United Way of Lamar County offered not only the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program at their offices but also became a MyFreeTaxes.com partner.
Jenny Wilson, Executive Director of the United Way of Lamar County stated, “We are so excited that 61 people so far in Lamar County have used MyFreeTaxes.com to file their taxes for free. When we decided to promote the product this tax season and become an official partner, we knew it might be hard to get people to trust us that it really was free, easy and safe. But in the last few weeks, we’ve really seen the numbers start to take off.”
MyFreeTaxes.com is the only free, national, online tax filing product offered by a nonprofit. Three years ago the United Way Worldwide launched the program, powered by H&R Block as part of its mission to fight for financial stability for all.
Any household that earned less than $66,000 in 2017 can file federal and state returns for free on a computer or any mobile device. All that is required is an email address.
Of the 61 tax returns in Lamar County using MyFreeTaxes.com, 19 have received Earned Income Tax Credit, in the average amount of $2,169. The average refund was $1,877 and the average age of the user was 42.
In addition to promoting MyFreeTaxes.com, the United Way of Lamar County has also offered the VITA program as they have in the past. This year, over 235 tax returns were filed through the VITA program. Wilson said, “we are so thankful for our four VITA volunteers – Dee Jackson, Kat Craft, Lisa Spann and Ginger Higgins, who have given hours and hours of their time to help people file their taxes for free and keep all of their refunds and earned income tax credit.
The VITA program at UWLC closes this week, but you can continue to file your taxes using MyFreeTaxes.com through the end of the tax season (April 17, 2018).