United Way of Central Georgia is excited to announce the return of three local locations providing free tax filing services to those with moderate to low incomes: Centenary United Methodist Church and the Family Investment Center in Macon and the GA VECTR Center in Warner Robins.
Openings and hours:
Centenary United Methodist Church (appt only)- Feb 8th-April 15th M W F: 10 am – 4 pm
Family Investment Center (appt only)- Feb 8th-April 15th T & Th: 8 am-Noon and 1 pm- 5 pm
GA VECTR Center (appt only- military [active-duty, veteran, reserves]) Feb 8th-April 15th M-F: 8:30 am-4 pm
Every year in Central Georgia, hardworking, moderate-to low-income families lack access to certified and IRS trained tax preparers and fail to claim important tax credits. In partnership with the IRS, United Way of Central Georgia leads a coalition to provide free tax preparation by IRS-trained and certified volunteers. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) coalition provides free tax preparation services and asset building resources to working families with moderate to low incomes.
“VITA is an incredible program that we really need help in getting the message out, both to those that can use the free tax preparation as well as to the volunteers we need to do the taxes,” said George McCanless, President & CEO of United Way of Central Georgia. “VITA helps clients claim all the tax credits due them and saves them money on tax prep fees, all the while increasing the probability of an accurate return. A study a few years ago showed that the unclaimed EITC in Bibb county alone was in the millions. That is money these families desperately need, and money that almost 100% of which is invested back into the local economy.”
There is no age requirement for the free service and no income requirement for those over the age of 65. Individuals MUST HAVE an appointment for service. There will be no walk-in service for 2021 as an extra safety precaution due to the pandemic and to meet social distancing guidelines. To make an appointment, taxpayers can call (478)254-1483 for Centenary, (478)752-5185 for the Family Investment Center, and (478)218-3900 for the VECTR Center.
The United Way’s online tax preparation initiative, MyFreeTaxes, is also available now to individuals or households by visiting www.MyFreeTaxes.com. MyFreeTaxes is the ONLY FREE ONLINE tax filing system offered by a nonprofit. For a second year, there is no income cap to utilize the MyFreeTaxes.com free tax prep service.