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Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Niagara, Niagara County Financial Literacy Coalition, seek volunteers to help at free tax prep sites

Submitted

Mon, Aug 29th 2016 12:00 pm

New York state ranks 49th out of 50 states for rate of volunteerism

Help make a difference in your community - while adding skills to your resume.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Niagara and the Niagara County Financial Literacy Coalition are seeking volunteers for a few hours per week during February and March 2017 to help with the volunteer income tax assistance program (VITA). Volunteers will have flexibility in determining work times and will receive a certification to add to their resumes. The work experience could lead to a job in this field.

CCCS said volunteers would help the community at large by preparing taxes free of charge for low-to-moderate-income individuals and families. Through the 2016 VITA, CCCS helped return more than $1.6 million to low-income Niagara County taxpayers.

Volunteers trained by CCCS completed 267 tax returns between the Niagara Falls and Lockport satellite offices (110 in Lockport, 129 in Niagara Falls and 28 for residents in other parts of Niagara County). These returns resulted in a total of $423,012 in returns for filers, with an additional $143,947 of that in earned income tax credits. Through these services, CCCS estimated volunteers saved $83,838 in filing fees for participants.

An additional 900 tax returns were filed through the facilitated self-assistance program. This is a do-it-yourself program sponsored by the IRS. Certified volunteers are available to answer questions, but individuals must prepare the return by themselves. Through this program, CCCS saved filers more than $282,600 in filing fees, resulting in returns of $1,258,174.

CCCS and the Niagara County Financial Literacy Coalition will provide volunteers with free training, E-file software training and administrative support. The community is encouraged to participate in other free services provided by CCCS and the NCFLC, including one-on-one financial coaching.

To become a volunteer, contact Noelle Carter at 716-771-3255 or [email protected]. Tax preparation training is free, and commences in December.

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