From www.westchestergov.com:
Once again, Westchester County will be launching an effort to help low- and moderate-income residents qualify for federal and state earned income tax credits (EITC). And once again, it needs volunteers to help with the effort.
Volunteers will be trained beginning in January and asked to donate time between Jan. 27 and April 15 at one of the designated tax assistance sites in Yonkers, Mount Vernon, Ossining, White Plains or Peekskill. The hours of operation of each location will vary, with some daytime hours, as well as some evening and weekend hours.
People interested in volunteering can sign up online.
The federal and state credits are tax refunds for working people with low or moderate incomes. Together, the credits can be up to $7,649 to families earning less than $48,362. The amount a family gets varies depending on the number of children in the household and the amount of earnings. The EITC can supplement the wages of low- and moderate-income earners and reduce taxes for those who qualify.
The county's EITC Assistance program is part of a broader Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, a national initiative sponsored by the IRS and the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.
The Westchester initiative is a collaborative effort of the following county departments and community organizations: Office of the County Executive; the departments of Social Services, Westchester Business Council, Consumer Protection, and Senior Programs and Services; AARP, Educational Opportunity Center, Westchester Community Opportunity Program, The United Way of Westchester and Putnam Counties, the Inter-faith Council for Action, Urban League of Westchester, Child Care Council of Westchester, Westchester Hispanic Coalition and Westchester One-Stop Employment Center.
