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 White Plains, NY - Volunteers are needed to help low and moderate-income people prepare their 2008 tax returns and obtain federal and state earned income tax credits (EITC).
You will be trained. Apply to Westchester County.
“For tax season 2008, Westchester County helped 4,870 people obtain more than $4 million in tax refunds and credits, mainly through the effort of a group of volunteers who collectively put in hours as volunteers,” said County Executive Andy Spano. “For tax season 2009, we want to do even better.”
The county needs about 100 volunteers to help with this effort. Volunteers will be trained beginning in
January and asked to donate time between Jan. 31 and April 15 at one of the designated tax assistance sites in Yonkers, Mount Vernon, Ossining, White Plains or Peekskill. The hours of operation of each location will vary, with some daytime hours, as well as some evening and weekend hours.
People interested in volunteering should call 2-1-1 to register. You can also register online at www.westchestergov.com/eitc.
The federal and state credits are tax refunds for working people with low or moderate incomes. Together, the credits can be up to $6,512 to families earning less than $42,000. The amount a family gets varies depending on the number of children in the household and the amount of earnings. The EITC can supplement the wages of low- and moderate-income earners and reduce taxes for those who qualify.
The county’s EITC Assistance program is part of a broader Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, a national initiative sponsored by the IRS and the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.
The Westchester initiative is a collaborative effort of the following county departments and community organizations: Office of the County Executive; the departments of Social Services, Consumer Protection, and Senior Programs and Services; AARP, Educational Opportunity Center, Westchester Community Opportunity Program, The United way of Westchester and Putnam Counties, the Inter-faith Council for Action, Urban League of Westchester and Westchester One-Stop Employment Center.
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