Free Tax Help for County Residents Earning $55,000 or Less

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For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 22, 2019 

Free Tax Help for County Residents Earning $55,000 or Less

Appointments for free tax assistance are now available for Montgomery County residents earning $55,000 or less through the Community Action Agency's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Services are available from Jan. 22 to April 15.  Assistance will be available in Gaithersburg (Mondays), Silver Spring (Tuesdays), Rockville (Wednesdays), East County (Thursdays), Wheaton (Fridays), and Germantown (Jan. 28 and March 21).

Residents can make an appointment at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cashback or call 240-777-1123. To request special accommodations, please call 240-777-1123 at least three business days in advance. TTY users, please call MD Relay (711). 

The Community Action Agency (CAA), part of the Department of Health and Human Services,  is Montgomery County’s federally designated antipoverty program.  Through its outreach, the CAA ensures that VITA serves working people eligible for the Earned-Income Tax Credit, as well as limited-English speaking taxpayers, seniors, and individuals with disabilities.  Last year, the VITA program served 1,936 individuals and families, helping these households receive almost $5 million in tax refunds, including $1.3 million in EITC.  Seventy-seven volunteers provided more than 2,100 hours assisting taxpayers in preparing returns, providing interpretation, or serving in other roles.

The Community Action Agency's VITA partners include the United Way of the National Capital Area;  the Coalition of Financial Education, Montgomery MD (CAFE Montgomery);  the Maryland CASH Campaign; City of Gaithersburg (Bank On); the Gilchrist Immigration Resource Center; MCPS Head Start/PreK; Montgomery College; University of Maryland; WorkSource Montgomery; the East County and UpCounty Regional Services Centers; and MC311.

Taxpayers may learn about other free tax options, including the RSVP/AARP Tax Aide Program which serves low-to-moderate income county taxpayers, with special attention to seniors, and about nonprofit and community-based VITA sites in Montgomery County by visiting montgomerycountymd.gov/cashback or by calling 3-1-1.

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Media Contact:  Leah Goldfine, 240-777-1708