Free Tax Filing

If your household income is under $40,000/year, you may be eligible for free tax help from IRS-trained community volunteers through Earn It. Keep It. Save It. Call 2-1-1 to find out if your are eligible! You may also qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable federal tax credit that can increase the effective wage of qualifying workers by up to $2/hour (maximum credit is $4,500/year).

To find out if you qualify, call 2-1-1 anywhere in the state!

As many as 40,000 households fail to file for the EITC because of they are not aware of it, because they don’t earn enough to be required to file taxes or because of education and language barriers. It is estimated that up to $80 million in federal EITC money is left unclaimed by Utahns each year. An economic impact study commissioned by United Way of Salt Lake found that each increase of 10,000 households in utilization of the EITC could bring an additional $17 million in direct EITC payments to Utah and generate approximately $63 million in additional state and local economic activity.

Click Here to Find Free Tax Preparation Sites Near You

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is a program implemented through the statewide Earn It. Keep It. Save It. Campaign by local community coalitions that provides free tax preparation services to low to moderate-income households. In 2008, more than 15,500 free returns were completed by over 650 volunteers helping Utahns claim more than $5.3 million in EITC and other tax credits. Additionally $1.6 million estimated tax preparation fees were saved.

Asset formation programs such as Utah Saves and the Utah Individual Development Account Network are offered in partnership with EITC and VITA to provide financial education, supports and incentives to assist Utahns in improving their financial knowledge and in forming long-term assets to improve their economic stability and well-being. IDAs offer low to moderate-income Utahns matched savings for the purchase of a home, small business or higher education, and Utah Saves helps all Utahns gain the information and support needed to reduce debt and increase their savings.