Special to the
Opelika Observer
The Birmingham-based nonprofit Impact America is pleased to announce annual free tax preparation services are now available online for Alabama residents. Their “SaveFirst Online” initiative is now providing free income tax preparation services online to households making up to $60,000 year in partnership with ASK Telemarketing and Code for America. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit ImpactAmerica.com/savefirstonline or call 1-888-99-TAX-AL to have their taxes prepared virtually by an IRS-certified volunteer.
Even in times of stay-at-home orders and social distancing, Impact America is committed to providing quality IRS-certified preparation to people in need, leading to the launch of this initiative, a virtual tax prep service. Now, more than ever, when many households across the state have been affected by the Coronavirus outbrea, SaveFirst ensure hardworking families have access to free tax preparation and receive the greatest tax refund possible.
Though the federal and state tax deadlines have been moved to July 15, the need for tax preparation is still great. The IRS has recommended taxpayers to e-file as soon as possible if they think they will be owed a refund and has specifically advised taxpayers not to wait until July 15. Additionally, the IRS will use date from the most current tax returns or Social Security data to provide a rebate to Americans through the CARES Act either via direct deposit or through a paper check in the mail to the last address on file.
The tax preparation service is aimed at assisting families eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. The EITC is the federal government’s largest and most successful anti-poverty program for low-income, working families. However, each year, Alabama families lose millions of dollars to commercial tax preparers simply to access this benefit.
Impact America’s SaveFirst initiative is in its 14th year of operation. In 2019, it served more than 9,700 families in Alabama, helping them claim more than $16.3 million in refunds and save nearly $3.9 million in commercial tax preparation fees.
For more information about this service, visit impactamerica.com/savefirstonline.