EIKISI Successes

2010 Outcome Report

Rural Utah.
Our rural communities often have less access to services but more need. Through Remote File Earn it. Keep it. Save it. is able to reach more rural communities ensuring that taxes are prepared and people save an average of $187 in tax preparation fees!

See others we serve here

$22,612,554

in total refunds last year alone!

Coalition Facts

• Last tax season the VITA Coalition in Davis and Morgan Counties served 1,046 people with low-to-moderate incomes. If these individuals and families had paid to have their taxes done, the cost would have averaged about $200 each—totaling approximately $200,000. These savings were very meaningful to the VITA clients.
• VITA taxpayers received credits of $567,797 in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) and they got back a total of $1,614,233 in federal tax refunds—over $2,000,000 if the Utah State refunds were counted.
• The Davis School District has been a major contributor to the VITA program. Family Enrichment Center in Kaysville and Pioneer Adult Rehabilitation Center in Clearfield host the VITA program.
• Employees at sites also assist in other ways like providing volunteers and IT help with the computer system

About Earn it. Keep it. $ave it.

Earn it. Keep it. Save it. is Utah’s statewide coalition to strengthen family financial stability through the utilization of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), free tax preparation, and asset building programs.

Earn it. Keep it. Save it. has seven coalitions throughout Utah, primarily hosted Community Action Partnership of Utah the network of Community Action Agencies (CAA’s). Each coalition has local community partners that help facilitate the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and the Earn it. Keep it. Save it. mission statement. The coalitions are traditionally chaired by regional coordinators who are responsible for volunteer recruitment, local outreach, locating and running VITA sites, and overall programmatic success. This network is the key to our success, the structure allows us to reach people all over Utah and stay connected to local needs and services. Please click here to see the organizational flowchart.

In 2010 the Earn it. Keep it. Save it. Coalition was able to return over 22 million dollars into Utah’s economy through free tax preparation. Please see our Annual Report and 2010 Outcome to see the full impact of the statewide coalition and its many partners.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) initiative that offers free tax help to low- to moderate-income people who cannot prepare their own taxes. Utah has implemented the VITA program across the state through the Community Action Partnership of Utah and Earn it. Keep it. Save it. Coalition, a statewide, public-private partnership that works to strengthen family financial stability through increased utilization of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), and other asset formation programs.

Low- to moderate-income households may receive free tax preparation assistance through Earn it. Keep it. Save it. VITA sites statewide. While eligibility and dollar amounts depend on the household's filing status, income and number of qualifying dependants, if your household income is under $50,000 a year, you may be eligible for free tax help from the IRS-trained community volunteers. Households that qualify for the EITC may also be eligible for the child tax credit and other credits. Assistance is available in multiple languages.

ABOUT COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP OF UTAH

Community Action Partnership of Utah (CAP Utah) is the statewide association for Utah's nine Community Action Agencies. The Community Action network envisions an end to poverty in Utah. Our member agencies work toward this vision every day by providing services to low-income families and individuals across the state.

CAP Utah advocates for, supports, and provides training and technical assistance to Utah's Community Action Agencies, utilizing our collective strength to address the causes of poverty. Our advocacy focuses on low-income housing, work support and asset building. Our biggest internal effort to fight poverty comes from our support of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program.

The Promise of Community Action:
Community Action changes people's lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.

To learn more visit www.caputah.org

ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Utah's VITA program provides free tax preparation services to households whose income is below $50,000 a year. VITA sites are fully staffed by over 600 volunteers who are trained by the IRS. Each volunteer works with a tax filer to ensure that all tax credits to which the tax filer is entitled, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), are claimed.

ABOUT THE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT

The federal EITC is a refundable tax credit that reduces or eliminates the tax liability that low- to moderate-income working individuals pay. The EITC also frequently operates as a wage subsidy for low- to moderate-income workers. The EITC is one of the largest anti-poverty tools in the United States and enjoys broad bipartisan support. As many as 31,000 Utah households fail to file for the EITC annually because they do not think they earn enough to be required to file taxes or because of education and language barriers. It is estimated that up to $70 million in federal EITC money is left unclaimed by Utahns each year. The EITC can be claimed by any qualified, working tax filer.