Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is a program supported by the IRS that provides people who make $56,000 or less with free assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free income tax return preparation to eligible individuals.

The Ferguson Road Initiative wrote and was awarded the first IRS funded grant in 2005. Since this date FRI’s role with VITA has transitioned into one of support for partners who manage and coordinate these tax services. We help recruit volunteer tax preparers, greeters, and translators, as well as communicating VITA services to our area residents.

Not only does tax assistance help underserved populations in our community by providing free consultation and e-filing, but it also saves money for taxpayers in general by increasing tax return accuracy and streamlining the process. VITA is an important program that has helped decrease the number of families who would otherwise be prey to predatory lenders.

See how VITA can help you this year (click image or desired button)

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program Tax Year 2023

LOCHWOOD LIBRARY VITA SITE 2023 TAX SEASON HOURS:
By appointment only. (limited capacity)
Solo con cita. (capacidad limitada)
Only taxpayers signing the return will be allowed to get in.
Solo se permitirá la entrada a las personas que van a firmar la declaración de impuestos.

Location:Lochwood Library
11221 Lochwood Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75218
Phone:(214) 670-8403 - Appointments


When: Wednesdays, February 7 to April 10, 2024.

Hours: 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Documents in English for Lochwood Library:

What do I need to bring – English and Spanish
Intake and Interview sheet – English

Documentos en Español para la Biblioteca Lochwood:

¿Qué necesito traer? – Inglés y Español
Formulario de Admisión y Entrevista – Español

 

LIGHTCHURCH VITA SITE 2023 TAX SEASON HOURS:
By appointment only
Solo con cita
Only taxpayers signing the return will be allowed to get in.
Solo se permitirá la entrada a las personas que van a firmar la declaración de impuestos.

Location:LightChurch
2606 John West Rd
Mesquite, TX 75150
Phone:(972) 914-9828 - Appointments


When: Saturdays, February 10 to April 13, 2024.

Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Documents in English for LightChurch:

What do I need to bring – English and Spanish
Intake and Interview sheet – English

Documentos en Español para la iglesia LightChurch:

¿Qué necesito traer? – Inglés y Español
Formulario de Admisión y Entrevista – Español

 

OTHER PARTNER SITE:
www.DallasTaxCenters.org

Location:Several locations throughout Dallas
Phone:(214) 370-9353 for more information


To get the latest information and to sign up to receive text message alerts, please text the word TAXCENTERS to
(833) 939-1387

A program of Foundation Communities – Tax Season starts late January 2023

 

WHAT TO BRING TO THE TAX PREPARATION SITE: You will need to bring to your appointment a photo ID and original Social Security cards or ITIN numbers for EVERYONE that you will include in your tax return. Additionally, you can speed the registration process by downloading and filling out the documents listed above for each location. Don’t forget to make your appointment. People without an appointment will not be able to use our services. Appointments can be made at the phone numbers listed above. If you are going to file married filing jointly, both spouses need to be present to sign.

Please note that this a free service is performed by IRS trained volunteers, and that there’s limited capacity. Please be patient.

PLEASE DO NOT BRING CHILDREN OR RELATIVES. THEY WILL NOT BE ALLOWED INSIDE THE TAX PREPARATION ROOM.

QUE NECESITO TRAER AL SITIO DE PREPARACION DE IMPUESTOS: Necesita traer identificación con foto y los originales de sus tarjetas de Seguro Social o de ITIN para TODAS las personas que va a incluir en su declaración de impuestos. Además, para acelerar el proceso de entrada le recomendamos bajar y completar los documentos que se enlistar arriba para cada lugar de preparación. No se le olvide hacer una cita. No podremos atenderlo sin cita. Llame a los números enlistados arriba para hacer su cita. Si va a hacer la declaración como casado, ambos esposos deben estar presentes para firmar.

Tome nota que este servicio hecho por voluntarios que fueron entrenados por el IRS y que la capacidad es limitada. Por favor sea paciente.

POR FAVOR NO TRAIGA NIÑOS O FAMILIARES A SU CITA. NO SE LES PERMITIRA EL ACCESSO AL CUARTO DE PREPARACION DE IMPUESTOS.

 

About FRI VITA Program

Ferguson Road Initiative’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) initiative offers free tax help to people who generally make $60,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English-speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing.

Started in 2005 and today is a collaborative venture between Foundation Communities, Sharing Life, the Dallas Public Library, and the IRS. Annually we recruit, train, and deploy between 40-80 volunteers certified by the IRS. This year FRI’s VITA Initiative will be hosted by the Lochwood Library: 11221 Lochwood Blvd., Dallas 75218 and LightChurch: 2606 John West Rd, Mesquite, TX 75150.

FRI, as part of the collaborative partners above, works in partnership with over 50 IRS-sponsored free tax preparation sites throughout the DFW area. For a complete list of sites, please visit IRS VITA locator site: https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/.

Since its establishment in 2005, our program has completed over 17,000 tax returns, keeping over $29,000,000 in federal refunds within our community. It’s important to note, without this program our families would have to pay a minimum of $190 to have someone else prepare and e-file their return. More importantly, many of these families would fall prey to expensive “rapid refund” loans with predatory interest rates as high as 500-600%. The Ferguson Road corridor is helped by FRI’s VITA program. Individuals receiving larger refunds are spending their refunds in our neighborhoods. In post-service surveys, 38% of taxpayers stated that they will be using their refunds to catch up bills and 10% to pay for essential services such as rent or mortgage payments.

FRI utilizes IRS tax preparation software and covers its expenses with funds provided by donations and grants made by individuals, corporations, and churches. FRI actively seeks neighborhood volunteers to prepare taxes and to welcome taxpayers to our center throughout the year. Some of our senior volunteers have been working with our initiative from the beginning with more than 17 years of experience. Training is free, online, and provided by the IRS in case you want to volunteer. Just call us at 214-324-5116.

One unique aspect of our service has included helping taxpayers resolve and/or file late prior year returns, State Returns when they have worked outside of Texas in States with state income taxes, and service to individuals who do not have social security numbers. We also help individuals obtain or renew their ITIN number for free.

This service provides North Texas families and individuals the opportunity to reach financial stability through a multitude of programs, including free income tax preparation, one-on-one financial coaching and assistance, college financial aid, and more. Individuals who would like to prepare and file their own taxes can visit United Way’s www.MyFreeTaxes.com if they have a simple tax return but exceed the VITA $60,000 threshold.

For the 2022 Tax Preparation Year, ending in June 2022, our statistics and highlights were as follows:

  • 1,248 families served.
  • $1,759,093 in refunds.
  • Average AGI for families served as $30,251.
  • We served 312 hours of financial education (15 minutes per client)
  • Volunteer Hours 4,176 valued at $125,071.
  • TOTAL SERVED OVER PAST 17 YEARS
    • 17,000 + families and individuals
    • $29+ million in refunds
  • PARTNERS
    • Foundation Communities
    • Access Storage
    • The Dallas Public Library
    • Sharing Life
    • Charles Schwab Bank
    • IRS

 
Rev. January 2024