Free Income Tax Preparation at VITA and TCE Sites

The IRS supports two volunteer-led services that provide free tax preparation.

VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites typically serve:

• People who generally make $64,000 or less
• Persons with disabilities; and
• Limited English-speaking taxpayers

I used the word typically because some sites may serve a broader range of clients. For example, the VITA program operated by the accountancy program at College of DuPage (Illinois) is allowed to prepare more complicated returns and returns for people whose income exceeds the stated limits. This allows the accounting students to get a much wider range of experience. The students must pass the same IRS exam as preparers at any VITA site, and each return is reviewed by someone with more experience. Review is a standard procedure at all VITA sites.

TCE (Tax Counseling for the Elderly) sites are, not surprisingly, aimed at those aged 60 and older. They can do tax returns that involve pensions and other retirement-income related issues.

Use the Locator Tool on the IRS website or call 800-906-9887 to find a tax prep location close to you. Since most TCE sites are operated by the AARP Foundation’s Tax Aide program, you can also search for TCE locations using AARP’s search tool or call 888-227-7669.

You probably need an appointment. And appointments can fill up early. If you want to have one of these services prepare your taxes for you, look for a location now and get your appointment scheduled as soon as possible.

There are also options to do your own taxes for free. If your adjusted gross income (AGI) is $79,000 or less, you can use software that guides you through the process. Another option, which has no income limit, is to use fillable forms. It will just like filling out paper forms without any guidance other than the instructions for each form. Learn more at the IRS Free File page.

If you need more information about VITA or TCE, or need the info in another language, please go to IRS.gov.