United Way of Southern Chautauqua County’s VITA program Awarded Grant
from Chautauqua Region Community Foundation
Jamestown, NY, United Way of Southern Chautauqua County’s VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program was recently awarded a grant to purchase two laptops for the 2018 upcoming tax season. The Axel W. Carlson Memorial Fund, Field of Interest Grant was made available by the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.
VITA utilizes volunteers, certified by the IRS, to prepare income tax returns at no charge. The primary focus of the VITA program is securing Earned Income Tax Credits for working families who earned less than $54,000 in 2018, persons with disabilities and limited English speaking. The goal of VITA is to ensure that 100% of the refund amount is returned to the taxpayer. Last year, 797 returns were processed through the VITA program, generating a total of $838,000 in refunds returned to the working families in our community.
United Way of Southern Chautauqua County works with VITA by providing local and convenient sites to assist qualified individuals throughout the community. To schedule an appointment for free tax assistance is a simple process by dialing 2-1-1. A service representative will then direct the individual to the appropriate location.