This spring, a team of volunteers associated with Waubonsee Community College again will not only help hundreds of local residents file their federal and state income tax returns for free, but will help boost the local economy in the process.
Working this year until the April 15 tax return filing deadline, dozens of volunteers will staff Waubonsee’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site.
Waubonsee has partnered with the Center for Economic Progress for more than a decade to sponsor the free income tax preparations assistance sessions through the VITA program.
In 2014, the Waubonsee VITA volunteers processed 902 income tax returns, bringing almost $1.9 million in tax refunds home to the Waubonsee region.
VITA sessions began Jan. 28 and will continue on Wednesdays from 5:30-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Waubonsee’s downtown Aurora Campus, 18 S. River Street, until April 15.
The site will be closed during spring break on Wednesday, March 18, and Saturday, March 21.
At these sessions, volunteers from Waubonsee and the Center for Economic Progress will help prepare and electronically file income tax returns, including those requiring the 1040 Schedule C used by small businesses and the self-employed.
Those eligible for the program include families with annual incomes of $50,000 or less, and individuals with annual incomes less than $25,000. Those seeking tax return preparation assistance at the VITA sessions should bring a copy of last year's tax return, if they have one; Forms W-2 and 1099 from all employment in 2014; Social Security cards for all family members; and a photo ID.
The free income tax return preparation is done on a first-come, first-served basis, and the site closes when capacity is reached.
For more information, contact Waubonsee Community College at (630) 466-7900, ext. 2992, email VITA@waubonsee.edu, or visit the Center for Economic Progress website at www.economicprogress.org.
