Friday Free Things in Chicago
April 10, 2009 by Steve
Filed under Chicago, Free in Chicago
You can get your taxes done for free in Chicago!
I know it is close to tax time but if you are like me, you are still pulling together paperwork. With all the economic bad news impacting many Americans, I just recently found out that there is some good news — if you earned less than $35,000 last year, you can get your taxes done, for free, in Chicago just by placing a phone call.
A continuing program from the Center For Economic Progress and the City of Chicago can help. Tax preparation services can help, but you’ll probably pay hundreds of dollars to have your tax forms filled out. Once again, the Center For Economic Progress and the City of Chicago have teamed up to provide this free tax preparation and electronic filing service for metro area residents. Last year….”the tax counseling project did 20,000 returns and brought back $25 million in refunds to families and individuals throughout Illinois,” says David Marzahl, Center For Economic Progress. The tax centers typically have weeknight and Saturday hours to accomodate the busy schedules of working families. Many taxpayers who get their taxes done at these centers find out they’re owed a refund due to the earned income tax credit.
Last year, the average earned income tax credit refund was nearly $1,900, but some families got as much as $4,200. “The majority of people we see receive refunds. We want to ensure the low income families get their taxes processed here and avoid paying astronomical fees so they can get the benefit of that money,” says Russell Pike, a volunteer.
Another bonus is if you have a bank account, you can get your refund deposited directly into your account. To find out where to go to get your taxes done for free, all you have to do is call the city’s non-emergency number, 311 and you will be directed to the nearest tax center site.
For additional resources for the 2009 tax season, such as individual tax site flyers, click here.
