"In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes." When Ben Franklin uttered this quote he likely had no idea of its sticking power. It was true in the 1700s and is just as true today. Unfortunately, preparing a tax return is something that many people look forward to with dread but you don't have to! There are some excellent resources in our local community to help you file your tax return for free, and make the process as easy as possible.
Free Tax Preparation & Filing
The Spokane Cash Coalition (www.spokanecash.org) in partnership with The Spokane County United Way offers free tax preparation services for local residents. IRS certified tax volunteers are ready to help throughout Spokane County. You may also be eligible to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit if you made less than $54,884 in 2018.
Last year, 190+ IRS-certified volunteers prepared more than 4,500 free tax returns for local residents. This brought $4.9 million in refunds back into the local economy, including $1.7 million in Earned Income Tax Credits. For a full list of preparation sites, to schedule an appointment, and for further details, you can check out their website www.spokanecash.org/free-tax-preparation.html.
File Your Taxes for Free Online
If your household earned less than $66,000 in 2018 you can file both your federal and state tax returns for free at www.myfreetaxes.com. The United Way in partnership with H&R Block has made this service available for any who wish to take advantage of it. This is the only free, national, online tax filing product offered by a nonprofit organization. United Way has made it available to over 100 million U.S. taxpayers as part of their work to promote the financial stability of every person in every community.
Finally, we offer our members a savings up to $15 off Turbo Tax! You can also file with TurboTax for free if you use form 1040 with no attached schedules.
We can't control your tax bill, but we do our best to make the preparation services more affordable. We wish you a happy tax season!