Debbie Palacios and Bianca Gines, VITA and resource representatives.
Did you know that working families with annual incomes under $53,267 may qualify to get up to $6,100 as a credit or refund on their 2014 taxes? It’s called EITC or the Earned Income Tax Credit. You can get EITC even if you don’t owe taxes. But you must file a tax return to claim the benefits you earned.
You can also file your own taxes online for FREE at www.MyFreeTaxes.com if you earn $60,000 or less. It has helpful tools such as calculators, error checkers and online chats, plus a free help line if you have any questions (English/Spanish).
To find out more, or to make an appointment, call (732) 643-5888.
Vincent Palumbo gave a heartfelt talk at our event on Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day, with an inside view of what it’s like to find yourself in difficult circumstances that are beyond your control.
His story began as a working class success story. He earned a college degree, had a nice home, a good paying job, and a stable family with a wife and two children. Vince never imagined that he would lose his job, then his house, and then have to overcome the death of his wife over the course of just a few years. He knew he needed help and decided to take advantage of our free resources so he could begin to build back his financial health. The Earned Income Tax Credit and free tax preparation offered by the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, allowed Vince to catch up on bills so he could begin to heal his family and plan for their future. “The VITA program at the FoodBank is not a hand-out, it’s a hand-UP,” proclaimed Vince. “I received not only tax prep help but compassion and understanding and that’s a wonderful thing.”
So many people, like Vince, are just one bad break away from losing what they worked so hard to gain. But programs like VITA are there as a resource – to get families back on a path to financial health and employment. For more information on VITA, visit www.fulfillnj.org or call 732-918-2600.