United Way of King County is recruiting more than 600 volunteers to manage and operate 17 free tax sites throughout King County from Jan. 15-April 15.
IRS trained and certified volunteers will help clients complete their tax returns and ensure that clients secure all refunds and credits they are eligible for. Volunteers will help lower income families keep more of their hard earned money and help them avoid unnecessary fees and loans.
There are four distinct roles at tax sites available for volunteers – tax preparers, intake volunteers, interpreters and basic needs volunteers. Complete descriptions are available at www.uwkc.org/taxvolunteer. The suggested time commitment is three to four hours a week for the duration of the campaign.
At the sites, tax customers also will be able to sign up for certain public benefits, receive assistance completing FAFSA applications, and learn about opportunities they have to make the most of their tax refund by opening a savings account or investing in a savings bond.
While volunteers are needed at all 17 locations throughout the county, the need is especially great for help in South King County locations such as Auburn, SeaTac, Kent and Renton. Additionally, those who speak Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Somali, Korean, Amharic, Cambodian and Russian languages are especially needed.
In Kent, the free tax preparation site will be located at the Washington Women’s Employment and Education Center at 515 West Harrison St.
In 2012, 650 volunteers dedicated 18,000 hours to United Way of King County’s Free Tax Preparation Campaign. Volunteers prepared 14,400 tax returns and helped return $20.1 million in federal returns. The tax campaign also saved King County residents more than $1.5 million in tax preparation fees.
For more information and to volunteer, please visit www.uwkc.org/taxvolunteer or email EITC@uwkc.org.
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