United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region announces that appointments are now open for free tax preparation assistance. The assistance is provided by AARP Foundation Tax-Aide’s IRS trained and certified volunteers through the Hudson Valley CA$H Coalition.
The AARP program is available throughout the region (and country), so readers outside these counties will also be able to find assistance. If we receive more detail on what’s available in Ulster County, for example, we’ll let you know. Further information can be found here.
In Duchess and Orange counties, there are 36 tax preparation locations. You can find the nearest one and set up an appointment by dialing 2-1-1 (the United Way’s Hudson Valley Region helpline) or 1-800-899-1479 from 9 a.m.–7 p.m. daily. Last year, 7,655 residents of Dutchess and Orange Counties received help preparing and filing their taxes and $6,176,853 million was returned in the form of tax credits and refunds.
“We know that people in our community are working diligently, but finding it hard to survive,” said Jeannie Montano, President and CEO of United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region. “These are the people we identified in United Way of New York’s recent ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Report, who help us every day at restaurants, day care centers, dental clinics, and offices. The refunds and [Earned Income Tax Credit] that they receive thanks to the AARP Tax-Aide volunteer tax-preparers truly make the difference in their very day-to-day survival, to help pay rent, medical bills, and to buy food and fulfill other basic needs.”
The tax prep sessions will be held six days a week, including evenings and weekends, from Feb. 1 through April 15. Assistance will be available for the hearing-impaired and for those who need a translator. AARP membership is not required. Assistance is open to residents of all ages. Taxes must be for individuals, not businesses. There are income guidelines (low to moderate), but no hard limits (i.e. percentage of local poverty rate).
In Dutchess County, there are 20 free Hudson Valley CA$H Coalition tax preparation sites located in: Beacon (2), Dover Plains, Fishkill, Hopewell Junction (2), Hyde Park, Millbrook, Millerton, Pleasant Valley, Poughkeepsie (6), Rhinebeck, Staatsburg, Stanfordville, and Wappinger Falls.
In Orange County, there are 16 free Hudson Valley CA$H Coalition tax preparation sites located in: Chester, Cornwall, Goshen, Greenwood Lake, Middletown, Monroe, Montgomery, Newburgh (3), New Windsor, Pine Bush, Port Jervis, Walden, Warwick, and Washingtonville.
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