The United Way of Broome County is once again offering free tax preparation to local residents through the IRS approved Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

The United Way of Broome County has secured IRS-certified volunteers and these individuals are offering free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to Broome County residents who qualify. If you currently earn less than $66,000 a year,  you may be eligible to have your tax returns filed for free and you may also qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit.

 

Free tax preparation is also available through the United Way of Broome County to Broome County residents who are over the age of 65.

In 2018, the United Way of Broome County and their IRS-certified volunteers were able to prepare over 1502 tax returns. Through the tax returns filed last year, the United Way of Broome County says that they were able to help "individuals and families receive a total of $1,651,106 in tax refunds, with an additional estimated savings of over $410,046 in tax preparation costs to participants (based on IRS estimates). The total value provided to the community is $2,061,152 when combining savings in tax prep fees and refunds. If you add the in-kind value, the total provided to the community is $2,213,574."

Additionally, United Way of Broome County has partnered with MyFreeTaxes.com to provide a free online filing service for households making less than $66,000 per year. This service is absolutely FREE. Go to www.myfreetaxes.com/UnitedWayBroome to file your federal and state tax returns.

Appointments are being scheduled  From February 4th to April 10th and can be made by calling 2-1-1 or 1-800-901-2018.

More From 99.1 The Whale