January 27, 2009 – W2 and I90 forms are hitting mailboxes, kicking off accountants’ favorite time of year – tax season.

            But for those who find deductions daunting, there is help.  The CA$H (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) program will soon begin its seventh year, with IRS-certified volunteers ready to provide free assistance to taxpayers.

The CA$H program provides free and fast tax assistance for low to moderate-income tax filers.  Clients can utilize free e-filing, which allows most people to receive their refund generally within 10 to 14 days. 

  CA$H was developed to help people within the community receive their full refund, putting money back into their pockets.  Nearly half of the people that file their own taxes miss valuable tax credits. 

A coalition of community partners, led by United Way of the Southern Tier, are involved in CA$H. Volunteer preparers are fully trained andIRS-certified.  They focus on tax credits that many families miss, like earned income tax credit (EITC), child or dependent care expenses, and credits for those paying student loans and/or making college tuition payments. EITC reduces taxes for workers and supplements wages. It is distributed in the form of refundable federal and state tax credits of up to $6,000 for working families with less than $50,000 in income.

Tax preparation sites are located throughout Chemung and Steuben Counties.  (A current list is provided on the attached flyer.)  Appointments can be made by dialing 2-1-1.

During the 2007 tax season, CA$H volunteers completed approximately 3,500 returns with refunds totaling nearly $5.8 million. This brings the program’s total over five years to more than $14 million returned to the community.

            The CA$H coalition of organizations and nonprofits includes 2-1-1 Helpline, the Internal Revenue Service, Catholic Charities Turning Point, Chemung County Department of Social Services, Steuben County Department of Social Services, Corning Community College Academic and Workforce Development Center, Economic Opportunity Program, , ServU Federal Credit Union, Faith Temple, Horseheads Library, Institute for Human Services, , Pro Action of Steuben & Yates, Salvation Army –Corning, Tri-County Housing, Spencer VanEtten area, Schuyler Child Care Council and AARP.

            CA$H is sponsored, in part, by a grant from the Internal Revenue Service, Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) Division, and Bank of America.         

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About United Way of the Southern Tier

United Way of the Southern Tier (www.uwst.org) is a locally managed non-profit organization focused on effectively mobilizing the caring power of our community to help people improve their lives. United Way of the Southern Tier is the largest non-governmental provider of funding for health and human services in Chemung and Steuben Counties.