Residents will have a number of centers to choose from if they are seeking free assistance with tax preparation. These include the Hartford Public Library, HART, Mi Casa Community Center, Upper Albany Neighborhood Collective, Urban League of Greater Hartford, Village for Families and Children at Clark Elementary School, Village for Families and Children at Burr Elementary School, YWCA Hartford Region, and at Community Renewal Team (CRT) sites in Hartford.
Out of town options include at the Town of Enfield, Manchester Community College, and CRT sites in East Hartford, Manchester, and Middletown.
To make an appointment with EITC/VITA volunteers, call 2-1-1, then hit ‘3’.
Tom
I’ve volunteered three years in a row with VITA. Not only is VITA free, but with e-filing you can get a refund very quickly — typically in a week to ten days. Paid preparers, in addition to charging for their services, sometimes offer “refund anticipation loans” that let a taxpayer walk out the same day with a check, but at significant cost. There are some cases VITA cannot handle, but for most people in the targeted income range it’s an excellent service. So get your W-2s and other paperwork and come see us.
Kerri Provost
Thanks for the additional info!
Do people also get a gold star for being law-abiding and stuff?
Chris
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXrfmKukVXg
Tom
No gold stars, but in addition to federal and CT state taxes many sites offer help with FAFSA forms for students and their families, some have Spanish-speaking volunteers, and some can open a debit card account on the spot to receive refunds for people without bank accounts. Last year one or two sites even offered budget coaching and even free credit checks for those interested. (Not sure if the latter will be repeated this year.)