Free tax prep offered for those in need

Preparing taxes is an annual job most people loathe, or at best merely tolerate.

That’s why many end up in the offices of paid preparers, willing to spend their way out of filing their taxes themselves.

But if you meet moderate income levels, you can have your taxes prepared for free – a service that local cities and non-profit organizations offer to residents in the hopes of keeping more refund money in people’s pockets.

“These are people who are struggling, who are desperate to get their money as soon as possible,” said Shaun Scott of the STOP Organization, which offers free preparation at its Norfolk and Suffolk offices.

“We’re not trying to put down the paid services. But we’d like them to stay with people who can afford their services.”

Scott has seen the benefits of free tax preparation first hand as a volunteer for the last few years.

In one family’s case, a paid preparer was set to charge $600 – nearly the entirety of their refund – for the work. The family refused and instead used STOP. “The tears of joy and the hugs, it goes without saying. It makes it so rewarding,” Scott said.

In 2009, STOP and its other partners in the South Hampton Roads Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition filed 1,431 federal income tax returns for a total refund of $1.85 million to local residents.

The group, which includes as members city departments and charitable organizations, serves all residents of South Hampton Roads cities, single or married, whose household income is less than $49,000. It uses trained volunteers.

“We try to cover as many people as we can,” said Gloria Twitty, Volunteer Resource Coordinator for Portsmouth’s Social Services department. The filing is done electronically, so recipients receive their refunds within two weeks.

Once federal taxes are done, the Commissioner of the Revenue offices in Norfolk and Virginia Beach will prepare any residents’ state tax returns for free, regardless of income. Virginia Beach’s office also does free preparation of federal forms if residents fall under the $49,000 income limit.

This year, free tax preparers expect to see an uptick in customers because of increased word-of-mouth and the economy.

AARP, the nation’s largest free tax preparer, also expects to help more residents.

The organization, which provides services in all five South Hampton Roads cities, prepared 42,000 tax returns statewide last year, communications director Ginger Thompson McDaniel said.

The organization serves everyone, with a special interest in helping low- and moderate-income residents over 50, she said.

“It’s a really valuable service,” McDaniel said, citing the $159 million AARP has garnered its tax customers in earned income tax credits. “That’s a lot of money back into the economy.”

Meghan Hoyer, 446-2293, meghan.hoyer@pilotonline.com