Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
UWECI organizes VITA in partnership community organizations to improve services and increase tax returns to local families and individuals. United Way also recruits and trains volunteers for VITA locations in Benton, Cedar, Jones, and Linn Counties. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) certified VITA volunteers tax preparers help taxpayers obtain all eligible tax credits and deductions with a particular focus on Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), Education Tax Credits (ETC), and Child Care tax deductions.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance’s goal is to increase the number of financially stable households in the five-county service area of Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Jones, and Linn. Over the past 10 + years that UWECI has coordinated VITA, the number of returns and the number of volunteers has grown. Seventy-five percent of volunteers come back each year. The attention to training, preparation, and partnership development is what has made this such a successful program. Each year clients express the gratitude and necessity of VITA and how much of a difference it makes in their lives to have access to this free service.