Tax filing can be a stressful time for many people, especially when it’s a financial burden just to file the taxes. But a special program through the United Way is hoping to alleviate that burden for many Mariposa County residents.
That program is the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. This program is approved by the IRS and offered in partnership through the United Way.
“It allows lower-income filers to receive free tax assistance. There are absolutely no fees for participating in this. The heart of the program is centered on lower-income individuals, people with disabilities and senior citizens,” said Mariposa County Librarian Matt Johnson.
The library is serving as a host site for the VITA program.
Filers who earn $69,000 or less annually are eligible to participate.
Starting on Tuesday, Feb. 24 and taking place each Tuesday through April 14, the United Way will have trained volunteers onsite to help prepare taxes and submit them to the IRS. Each walk-in window will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mariposa Library’s Community Room, located at 4978 10th Street.
“These volunteers had to attend rigorous training sessions in Merced at the United Way office,” said Johnson. “They are volunteers who will help prepare the tax filing, and then pass it off to paid, professional tax preparers, who look over the filing and ensure it is done correctly. If the participant is agreeable by the end of the session, the program will file the taxes on their behalf — at no charge.”
Johnson said the program has four volunteer preparers, who will be joined by the United Way’s Luis Mejia, Financial Stability Program Manager, for the first month of the program. Mejia helped guide Johnson through the process of getting the library established as a recognized VITA site by the IRS.
“It took some time and patience, but we are excited to be a site for this,” Johnson said. “We heard about other libraries hosting this and thought, ‘Why not us?’”
Johnson said he is grateful to the volunteers, who are giving freely of their time and energy to this effort. He also mentioned Mejia, who will commute from Merced to ensure the process goes smoothly over the first few weeks.
“We ask that those who take advantage of this program show the volunteers courtesy and respect,” Johnson said.
More guidelines will be shared as the program gets nearer to beginning. People will be helped on a first come, first served basis. If there is extreme demand for the service, guests may be asked to return on another day.
Sessions should typically take an hour to complete. In certain circumstances, filing could take a bit longer than 60 minutes.
Those who participate do not have to accept the result provided by the VITA program, and are welcome to seek other opinions. However, the program discourages people from coming in simply to receive an estimate.
“We are here to help people file. We don’t want people coming in just to receive an estimate,” Johnson said. “We don’t have a lot of volunteers or a lot of weeks to do this. Time is precious.”
Johnson said the library has a Frequently Asked Questions form that people can pick up if they are curious to learn more or what to bring to their session.
Overall, Johnson said he thinks the program will be a massive benefit to many in Mariposa County, and is curious to see how many people it can impact.
“We encourage any Mariposa County citizen who is eligible to look into this option,” Johnson said. “It is exciting that we are at this point and ready to help the community.”
To learn more, call the library at (209) 966-2140 or email Johnson at mjohnson@mariposacounty.gov. You can also visit www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-qualifying-taxpayers to learn more about VITA.
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