Community Corner
Volunteers Needed to Help Low-Income Families With Taxes
Volunteers will be asked to contribute a few hours per week to help prepare tax returns or serve as greeters, screeners, site coordinators and interpreters during tax season.
The Loudoun County Department of Family Services and the Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging are joining together to help people in the community file their taxes free of charge, and in many cases obtain a tax refund.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, locally known as the Northern Virginia CASH Campaign, (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) relies on volunteers to deliver tax preparation services at no cost to working families and individuals in the community who earned less than $50,270 in 2011.
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“This year we need volunteers to help people find out about the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax credit changes available for the 2011 tax year," said Volunteer Income Tax Coordinator for the Department of Family Services Karen Velez. "These tax credits may be available to eligible individuals and families to help them afford basic necessities such as rent or food for their families and children.”
Volunteers will contribute a few hours weekly during the tax season to help prepare tax returns, or serve as greeters, screeners, site coordinators and interpreters.
Find out what's happening in Leesburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Free tax certification training is provided by the Internal Revenue Service to all volunteers in January. Successful tax preparers are computer savvy, have a knack for working with numbers, use a 10-key number pad, and spend a minimum of 30 to 40 hours to prepare for the IRS examinations.
The Northern Virginia CASH Campaign is leading the Northern Virginia effort to mobilize a coalition of public agencies, businesses, libraries, faith and community-based groups to operate the tax assistance program at 19 sites throughout the Northern Virginia area beginning on January 31, 2012. Last year, four Loudoun County sites assisted about 1,300 residents file for $1,919,906 worth of refunds.
To register as a volunteer or for more information about the Northern Virginia CASH Campaign contact Karen Velez at 703-771-5718 or via e-mail at karen.velez@loudoun.gov for evening and Saturday morning opportunities.
Contact Debra Bressler at 703-777-0505 or via e-mail at debra.bressler@loudoun.gov for weekday opportunities. Additional information about the tax program is available at www.nvacash.org.
