AKRON, Ohio — Two Northeast Ohio United Way organizations will receive a combined $260,000 in federal funding to help residents prepare and file their taxes for free, U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes announced, according to Dayton Daily Magazine’s report of the announcement.
The grants, awarded by the Internal Revenue Service, will support programs that provide free tax preparation services to individuals and families, including people with limited incomes, older adults and residents who may face difficulties completing their tax returns, according to the announcement reported by Dayton Daily Magazine. The United Way of Greater Stark County will receive $160,000, while the United Way of Summit and Medina will receive $100,000, Sykes said.
Both organizations will use the funding to support the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs, according to Dayton Daily Magazine. VITA has operated for more than 50 years and generally focuses on individuals with lower incomes, people with disabilities and those who have difficulty speaking English; TCE primarily serves adults ages 60 and older, with particular attention to pensions, retirement income and other questions that affect seniors.
“Filing taxes can be stressful and expensive, especially for individuals and families already working hard to make ends meet. These grants will help connect more Northeast Ohioans with free, reliable tax preparation services so they can file with confidence,” Sykes said in the announcement reported by Dayton Daily Magazine. “I’m proud to see these investments supporting United Way organizations in our community and helping ensure that cost is not a barrier to accessing important tax services.”
The local grants are part of a larger IRS effort to support free tax preparation programs across the United States: nationally, the agency is awarding 282 VITA grants totaling $46 million, along with 49 TCE grants worth another $12 million, according to Dayton Daily Magazine. The IRS does not set a single income limit for the entire VITA program, though individual locations may set their own eligibility requirements.
For Stark, Summit and Medina county residents, the practical effect arrives with tax season: trained volunteers at United Way sites will prepare returns at no charge for qualifying households, rather than those filers paying a commercial preparer or skipping help altogether. Residents can find VITA and TCE site information through the IRS, according to the announcement.