This tax season, CAN-DO – Newton’s long time non-profit affordable housing advocate and service provider – is partnering with The Village Bank to provide free tax-preparation services to low-income families, helping them to receive tax credits they might not know they are due. The credits include child tax credits and the Earned Income Tax Credit, and filers can claim them now for years 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The CAN-DO/VITA program is Newton’s local office of the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program – a national program that trains local volunteers to help low-income people file and claim these credits. [UPDATE: CAN-DO reports that it now has eight IRS-certified tax preparers for its site and is no longer actively recruiting volunteers for this tax season.]
Josephine McNeil, Executive Director of CAN-DO, has devoted her career to providing a wide range of assistance to low-and moderate income people, and she is leading this tax assistance program. The Village Bank, synonymous with community engagement in Newton, is providing free, convenient office space for the volunteers and their clients.
Both McNeil and Susan Paley, Senior Vice President of Community Relations at The Village Bank, emphasize the need for getting the word out about the benefits of the VITA information. They have found that flyers on public bulletin boards are not sufficient for informing the people who are most likely to benefit. McNeil says that she “goes anywhere I can to get the word out.”
Tax benefits available to low-income families are considerable. Ms. McNeil explains that families who have not yet filed income-tax returns for the years 2021, 2022, or 2023 can file now and claim credits for which they are eligible. These credits include:
- ARPA Enhanced Child Tax Credit: $3600 for each child under 6 years old and $3000 for each child of six to eighteen years old
- Earned Income Tax Credit
The ARPA Enhanced Child Tax Credit was established by the Biden Administration’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. Although the expanded Child Tax Credit has ended, families can still apply for their unclaimed benefits for the Enhanced Credit in 2021 and the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2022 and 2023. Receiving these benefits does not disqualify people from other federal programs such as SNAP, SSI, Medicaid, cash assistance, and public housing.
Newton’s CAN-DO/VITA program currently has seven trained volunteers who see clients by appointment on Wednesdays (2PM-6PM) and Saturdays (1PM-5PM). People can call the CAN-DO/VITA office at 617-906-7293 to find out if they are eligible or to make an appointment. Tax returns for these years must be filed by April 17, 2024. The CAN-DO/VITA office is at 413 Watertown Street, next to The Village Bank in Nonantum.
For years, McNeil and Paley have been involved in local initiatives to help families in need of affordable housing and human services, and both are experts at what is available and ways to access assistance. CAN-DO and The Village Bank are committed to making a difference in Newton.
