Unitus Community Credit Union Offers Free Tax Preparation to Qualified Individuals

Posted by Katy Wagnon on January 27, 2024

Unitus Community Credit Union is once again partnering with the Internal Revenue Service and Metropolitan Family Services (MFS)-CASH Oregon to provide Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) to the community. The VITA program offers free tax return support to people who generally make $64,000 or less, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and limited English-speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their tax returns. Like VITA, MFS-CASH (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope) Oregon is an economic empowerment program committed to improving the financial lives of working individuals and families by providing culturally responsive outreach in the form of high-quality tax preparation.

Beginning February 20 through April 2, Unitus Financial Education Specialists will offer free tax preparation appointments in both English and Spanish on Tuesdays from 9:30am – 1:00pm at the Unitus Beaverton Branch located at 3215 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, OR. All VITA-certified counselors who prepare returns must pass tax law training that meets or exceeds IRS standards to professionally serve members of the community. This training includes maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of all taxpayer information. In addition to requiring volunteers to certify their knowledge of tax laws, the IRS requires a quality review check for every return prepared at a VITA site prior to filing.

“Tax preparation is challenging. This program gives community members access to trained professionals who work to put as much money as possible back into the pockets of hardworking taxpayers,” explained Steven Stapp, President and CEO of Unitus Community Credit Union. “As part of our commitment to offering inclusive financial services for all, we are deeply invested in this valuable service that is available at no cost to the community.”

In addition to ensuring individuals and families who traditionally might not be able to access their rightful refunds, VITA and MFS-CASH Oregon help to increase the amount of refund dollars returned to the community, strengthening local economic activity and businesses. Last year, Unitus helped to get $73,588 returned to working families and individuals in Oregon and SW Washington.

Members of the community can visit cashoregon.org to determine if they’re eligible for free tax services, find a VITA site located near them, and view the list of items to bring along to a VITA site in order to have their tax return prepared. Appointments can be scheduled through this link.

Taxpayers who do not have a social security number to file their returns can access Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) assistance through this link.

Posted in Oregon, Regional Member News.