Columbia County
• Bancorp South, 300 North Jackson Street in Magnolia. Call 870-867-0151 for appointments.
Free File Online
• Persons making under $54,000 may also self-prepare their taxes at myfreetaxes.com.
CADC helps individuals qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable federal credit available to low to moderate income working families. The IRS estimates one-fourth of eligible people could miss out on the EITC because they don’t know about it, don’t know that they qualify, or don’t know where to find free tax filing assistance.
IRS-certified volunteer tax preparers work one-on-one with taxpayers to ensure they receive the tax credits for which they qualify. Sites also provide information on financial education, MyRA, a federal retirement savings program, and US Savings Bonds. Customers can split refunds into multiple accounts, or if they don’t hold a bank account, can receive their refund on a debit card. Just as with paid tax sites, customers who use the VITA tax service will receive federal refunds 7-10 days and state refunds sooner. “Married workers who earned less than $54,000 in 2015 may qualify for the EITC,” said Robin Freeman, Planning Director for CADC. “And single workers not raising children who earned less than $15,000 might also qualify for a smaller EIC,” she added. “But you must file a federal income tax return to claim the federal credit – even if you don’t earn enough to owe any federal income taxes.” Persons utilizing the sites should bring their family’s Social Security Cards, picture ID, W-2/1099s, insurance information, a copy of last year’s return, bank account information for direct deposit or splitting a refund to several accounts, and any other pertinent information.
New this year, persons may learn about MyRA, a new retirement savings account from the Department of Treasury. Workers who don’t have access to a retirement savings plan on their job may qualify for the program. The service costs nothing to open and has no fees.
CADC is a private nonprofit community action agency that was formed in 1965 to fight and win the “War on Poverty.” The mission of CADC is to improve the quality of life and build strong
