VITA stands for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and they will have sites offering free tax preparation services throughout Acadiana. Another Super Tax Day coming up this Saturday Feb 20th.
Families and individuals with household income less than $54,000 in 2015 may be eligible for free tax preparation services and a quick refund offered at Northside High School at 301 Dunand St. in Lafayette Feb. 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome at the Northside High’s Super Tax Day.
IRS-certified, trained volunteers are also on hand to help families who qualify to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which could mean up to $6,200 back in their pockets.
For some families, this could help pay down debt, cover home repair costs or be used as a down payment on a needed expense.
To qualify for the EITC, Tax Year Earned Income and Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) must meet certain criteria. For example, a married couple with two children with a household income $49,974 or less can qualify.
In addition to the Super Tax Day locations, 11 United Way of Acadiana-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites throughout Acadiana, open until April 18, include:
Acadia Parish
Assist Agency, 11 North Parkerson, Crowley, LA 70526, 337-788-7550, ext. 138
Iberia Parish
Iberia Parish Library, 445 E. Main St., New Iberia, LA, 70560, 337-364-7024
SMILE/New Iberia, 722 Walton St., New Iberia, LA, 70560, 337-365-8151
Lafayette Parish
Acadiana High School, 337-984-2324
SMILE/Lafayette, 501 St. John St., Lafayette, LA 70501, 337-234-3272, ext. 219
Proyecto Hispano de Ayunda la Comunidad, 1006 Surrey St., Lafayette, LA 70501, 337-849-4145
St. Landry Parish
Continuous Links, 8202 Highway 182, Opelousas, LA, 70570, 337-942-3911
The Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives, 1209 Diesi St., Opelousas, LA 70570, 337-943-2410
St. Martin Parish
SMILE/St. Martin, 2097 Terrace Rd., St. Martinville, LA, 70582, 337-394-6013
St. Mary Parish
St. Mary CAA Central Office, 1407 Barrow St., Franklin LA 70538, 337-828-5703
Vermilion Parish
ASSIST Agency, 407 Charity St., Abbeville, LA 70510, 337-898-9554
People with AGI more than $54,000 and less than $62,000 can file for free at myfreetaxes.com.
Last year, volunteers prepared 2,922 federal returns. Of those, 1,116 EITC-eligible returns were filed, resulting in more than $2 million in Earned Income Tax Credits being claimed by Acadiana residents. Each year, on average, $30 million in Earned Income Tax Credits goes unclaimed in Acadiana due to lack of awareness.
For more information, dial 2-1-1, 337-232-4357, or visit UnitedWayofAcadiana.org. Get the full list of sites by texting key word FREETAXPREP to 51555