Dayton offering free tax services throughout Miami Valley

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The beginning of the new year also signals the upcoming start to tax season throughout the country.

The 16th annual year of a campaign aimed at assisting low-and moderate-income taxpayers in seeking their yearly tax refunds will kick off on Friday, Jan. 3 with city officials formally announcing the services available to the community.

Members of the Dayton Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Coalition operate 14 free tax preparation sites staffed by IRS-trained volunteers to help eligible taxpayers claim the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.

The goal of the program is to assist working families and individuals of low and moderate incomes in claiming tax credits; to save these taxpayers the expense of paid tax preparation; and to bring millions of dollars to the Dayton-area economy through tax refunds.

In order to qualify, the individual or family must have an income lower than $54,884.

Tax season and filing officially begins on Tuesday, January 21. The city is holding the kick off event in order to alert citizens of the upcoming services and to give them the time to prepare, schedule an appointment, and organize the proper documents.

City officials are encouraging citizens to participate in these programs in order to avoid paying the various fees and fines often associated with going to a private tax consultant or using a tax software.

“Before you know it, you are $1000 in fees,” said Verletta Jackson, a supervisor at Planning and Community Development, “When you can come to one of our sites and have it done for free.”

The city also encouraged using their facilities because it allowed for community members to have a one-on-one communication with a professional who can explain what new tax laws may have started and offer guidance on how to best file based on their individual circumstances.

Officials also encouraged those who were displaced by the Memorial Day tornadoes or had to pay out-of-pocket for repairs to reach out to one of the locations in order to ensure they receive as much tax reimbursement in their returns as possible.

Citizens using one of the locations are required to bring Photo ID. They also must bring Social Security cards all persons in the family being included on the tax return. The official card must be present, photocopies of Social Security cards are not accepted.

W-2 forms are required for all wages earned and 1099 forms for retirement, Social Security, unemployment, interest, and miscellaneous income.

The programs also require direct deposit information to have refunds directly deposited into saving or checking accounts.

Various locations include: