ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR EITC?
GET IT, AND GET IT RIGHT WITH FREE TAX HELP
Springdale, Arkansas— Workers may get a larger tax refund this year because of the EITC or Earned Income Tax Credit. But to get it, you must file a tax return and claim it.
Today, January 29, 2016, marks the 10th anniversary of EITC Awareness Day, a nationwide effort to increase awareness about EITC and free tax preparation sites. This year, IRS is promoting EITC providing information on other refundable tax credits that you may be eligible for. This includes the Premium Tax Credit, American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.
In 2015, 27.5 million workers received more than $66.7 billion in EITC refunds. Last year 297,000 Arkansans claimed the EITC and received $774,000,000 in tax refunds.
If you worked last year and had income of less than $53,267, check out your eligibility for EITC. EITC can mean up to a $6,242 refund when you file a return if you have qualifying children. Workers without a qualifying child could be eligible for a smaller credit up to 503 dollars. On average, EITC adds 24 hundred dollars to refunds.
Why is it important to have an EITC Awareness Day annually? One-third of the EITC population changes each year. The IRS estimates that four out of five workers claim the EITC they earned. This leaves billions of dollars on the table each year. We want to get the word out to those who are eligible to file a tax return even if they don’t owe any tax to claim the EITC. It’s money workers can use for groceries, rent, utilities and other bills.
EITC is complex. It varies by income, family size and your filing status. To be eligible, you must have earned income or certain disability income. This means you must have income from working for someone or working for yourself.
Volunteers – trained by the Internal Revenue Service – ask you the needed questions to find out if you qualify for the EITC and other refundable tax credits. Volunteers at VITA, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites, also prepare and e-file (electronically file) your tax return at no cost to you.
“Our community volunteers help you get EITC and the maximum refund you’re due. Our goal is to help you get it and get it right. This is money you can save or use to pay off bills, buy that car to get to work or make a down payment on a home. Let us help make your life a little easier,” said Jennifer Ligouri, director of the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic at Legal Aid of
Let us help you get it and get it right. To locate the free tax prep site nearest to you, visit www.irs.gov/Individuals/Free-Tax-Return-Preparation-for-You-by-Volunteers or call Legal Aid of Arkansas is a nonprofit public interest law firm that provides free legal services to low-income Arkansans with civil legal problems in 31 counties from Benton County in Northwest Arkansas to Phillips County in the Mississippi River Delta. If you need legal advice or representation, call 800-9-LAW-AID (800-952-9243) to apply for services. Learn more at www.arlegalaid.org.
