Free Tax Preparation

United Way is now taking tax appointments!
Tax site open January 22nd-April 15th

Call 740-653-0643 to schedule an appointment!

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA

The United Way of Fairfield County will be operating its fourth year as a VITA site for tax season 2013. With the help of community volunteers and staff, UWFC expects to exceed prior years total returns filed. See table below to see if you are eligible to receive the EITC. UWFC will begin scheduling appointments on January 2nd, but please wait until you have all tax documents before you call.

Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE)

UWFC will offering free tax preparation for any person over the age of 60 through the TCE program. If married filing jointly, only one spouse needs to be over 60 to qualify. Unlike the VITA program, there is no limit on income to be eligible for free tax preparation. The United Way's VITA and TCE programs are made possible by the IRS, Walmart, and the United Way.

Self Preparation at United Way

The United Way will also offer the availability of self preparation of taxes. Clients will be able to walk-in and file their taxes for free with assistance from United Way staff if needed. Taxes are filed through myfreetaxes.com and will be completed on an Apple Ipad 2 or Computer using MyFreeTaxes.com. Anyone who self prepares through our site will be automatically entered to win an Apple Ipad Mini! Walk-ins only....First come, first serve! Income limit of $57,000. Made possible by Walmart & MyFreeTaxes.com. Self preparation sites will be available at the United Way office, the Fairfield County District Library, Ohio University-Lancaster, and Ohio University-Pickerington.

File your own taxes at home through MyFreeTaxes.com (assistance by phone if needed)

Earned Income Tax Credit

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a refundable federal income tax credit. Originally approved by congress in 1975 to offset the burden of Social Security taxes and to provide an incentive to work, the EITC has been credited with lifting more individuals and families out of poverty than any other single program.

The United Way of Fairfield County's VITA site's goal is to increase education, awareness, and claims of the EITC. The IRS estimates that approximately 20% of eligible workers do not claim the EITC.

How Do I Qualify for the EITC?*

Individuals must meet certain income guidelines as indicated below:

For FilingYear 2012	Income Limit	Maximum EITC
Three or more Qualifying Children	$45,060 if Single $50,270 if Married Filing Jointly	$5,891
Two Qualifying Children	$41,952 if Single $47,162 if Married Filing Jointly	$5,236
One Qualifying Children	$36,920 if Single $42,130 if Married Filing Jointly	$3,169
No Qualifying Children	$13,980 if Single $19,190 if Married Filing Jointly	$475

*Others restrictions apply. We will not prepare income tax returns with rental income.

Contact Information

For more information regarding EITC or free tax preparation, contact Scott Spangler or Barbara Sanford at the United Way of Fairfield County (740)-653-0643

If you do not meet our income guidelines or you would rather file your taxes for free by yourself, please check out the following links:

MyFreeTaxes.com IRS Ohio Department of Taxation

Funding Provided By:

Highlights from the 2012 Filing Season

The United Way of Fairfield County operated its third year as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site for tax season 2012. VITA offers free tax preparation for low to moderate income individuals and people over the age of 60 in Fairfield County. The site utilizes IRS Certified Volunteers to prepare and file tax returns.

Free tax preparation for 1,141 clients
Filed 1,106 Federal returns
34% more Federal refunds filed than in 2011
358 Earned Income Tax Credit claims
$554,106 in Earned Income Credit claims
$1,535,046 in Federal refunds
$74,337 in State refunds
2 MoneyWise prepaid cards issued

Also this season, the United Way of Fairfield County made available a self tax preparation kiosk, where clients had the option to self prepare a tax return on an Apple iPad 2, with VITA staff assistance if needed. The self prep kiosk provided the opportunity for tax clients to navigate the tax preparation process first hand, which hopefully will provide the confidence to electronically self prepare in the future. In total the United Way of Fairfield County assisted 24 tax clients at the self preparation kiosk. An Apple iPod Touch was awarded to one lucky winner who self prepared a tax return!

2012 Final Report