Now through April 15, seven local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites will be open to the public, including one in Minden. The VITA program offers free tax help to people who generally make $64,000 or less, persons with disabilities, and limited English-speaking taxpayers who need assistance preparing their tax returns. Volunteer tax preparers are IRS-certified and have extensive hours of training. They are trained to do simple returns with W-2 and 1099 forms (no itemized or business taxes). Partner VITA locations include churches, community centers, independent living facilities, and more.
“VITA is a simple solution to save money on a service that could cost hundreds of dollars,” said UWNWLA Vice President of Financial Stability Rashida Dawson. “We encourage residents to take advantage of this free resource and keep more of their hard-earned money. The money saved by taking advantage of the VITA program could help create asset-building opportunities for working families, such as establishing a sustainable savings.”
During the 2023 tax season, 3,997 returns were prepared, and taxpayers saved more than $1.09M in preparation fees. These free tax preparation programs issued taxpayers more than $4.63M of federal refunds through all VITA sites, including Barksdale Air Force Base, Flexible Spending Account, and the American Association of Retired Persons.
If qualifying residents prefer to file their own taxes, they can also use MyFreeTaxes.com. MyFreeTaxes.com is a safe, easy, and free way for taxpayers to file federal and state taxes. United Way has partnered with TaxSlayer, which powers MyFreeTaxes.com, to help people easily and accurately file their taxes online.
The Minden location is:
Creighton Hill VITA Site, 510 High Street, Minden, La. 71055, 318-949-5768 by appointment only.
An average of 56 percent of households across Northwest Louisiana are struggling to make ends meet. In response, United Way of Northwest Louisiana (UWNWLA), in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), promotes the annual free tax preparation options available to the public. These programs, sponsored in part by Capital One, help relieve the financial burden of tax preparation fees for thousands of local households.