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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2016)
January 27, 2016 Page 9 Mississippi Alberta North Portland Vancouver East County Beaverton PhOTO COurTesy C iTy Of b eaverTOn An IRS-certiied volunteer with AARP Tax-Aide and CASH Oregon in Beaverton helps a woman ile her tax return. Free tax help sites are available for low and middle income families through April 16. IRS-certiied volunteers help low income IRS-certiied volunteers are avail- able again this year to help low and middle income families ile tax returns and get the refunds they deserve. In partnership with CASH Oregon and AARP Tax-Aide, the volunteers use free tax preparation programs to help residents, especially families qualifying for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Eli- gible low-income working families may be entitled to up to $6,242 in tax refunds with the Earned Income Tax Credit, but the IRS reports that one in ive workers fail to claim the credits they earned. Tax Help Available Last year, volunteers in Oregon iled 2,077 tax returns, resulting in more than $2.4 million in tax refunds back into the community. More 425 local taxpayers were able to receive their earned cred- its through Beaverton’s tax assistance program, which meant additional mon- ey back that they can use for groceries, rent, and other bills. CASH Oregon and AARP has sched- uled dozens of locations across the Portland metro area where the tax help program is available until April 16, the deadline to ile taxes this year. The sites include Beaverton, Concordia Univer- sity, the Multicultural Senior Center on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the NAYA Family Center in northeast Portland, the North Portland Library, the Dishman Community Cen- ter, Peace Lutheran Church of Portland, the Hollywood Senior Center, the Lloyd Center, The Salvation Army Rose Cen- ter, Reach Community Development, the New Columbia Opportunity Center, among scores of others. Those looking for an appointment or a location near them can call 211 or visit CashOregon.org. When residents come in for tax il- ing assistance, they are urged to bring picture identiication, a copy of their 2014 tax return, if available, their social security number or individual taxpay- er identiication number, their W-2 or other employer-given forms, including 1099s, child and dependent care infor- mation, and health insurance documen- tation.
