MARYSVILLE — Working on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Saturday mornings, volunteers have helped 232 people in Marysville file their taxes for free as part of the United Way of Snohomish County’s free tax preparation program.
The tax preparers, working out of Totem Middle School, have helped residents get back $441,728 in refunds, including $144,320 through the Earned Income Tax Credit, saving taxpayers more than $38,280 in preparation fees. The average income for those making use of the program is approximately $25,000 a year.
Although the deadline for filing taxes this year is April 17, the free tax preparation centers will only be open until Saturday, April 14.
The tax sites are staffed by IRS-certified volunteers. At some of the sites, at particular times, volunteers are able to help people in Tagalog, Mandarin, Khmer, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Chichewa and Vietnamese.
The free service is intended to help people who make $50,000 or less.
Over the past four years, United Way volunteers have prepared 6,400 tax returns, worth $10.5 million in refunds for Snohomish County working families.
This year’s sponsors and partners include the Boeing Company, the Washington State Department of Commerce, Bank of America, Moss Adams, LLP, Goodwill, the Walmart Foundation and the Internal Revenue Service.
Although no appointment is necessary, people should bring picture IDs, Social Security cards or tax identification numbers for everyone on their returns, W2s or other income statements from all employers, any 1099 forms, records of student loan payments, records of payments for educational expenses such as college tuition, mortgage interest and property tax statements, bank account numbers to receive their refunds via direct deposit, last year’s tax returns if available, and the names, addresses and tax ID numbers for their child care providers. If you’re filing jointly, both spouses must be present to file electronically.
The tax preparation center in Marysville is at Totem Middle School, located at 1605 Seventh St. NE, and is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-8 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, please visit www.uwsc.org/freetaxpreparationcampaign.php or call 2-1-1 for information and referrals.
