Photo courtesy of United Way of Tarrant County
With Tax Day approaching on April 15, filing taxes can be a source of stress for many people.
For Arlington resident Justin Le, 26, who is blind, that process can come with added challenges. Le is a first time user of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and said the experience helped ease the burden of doing taxes.
“They explained every step that they were doing, and then at the end, she went over everything with me and explained my next steps and next options and credits and tax deductions and all that,” Le said.
United Way of Tarrant County, a nonprofit organization that focuses on education and youth opportunity, community health, financial security and community resilience, helps facilitate the free tax program to help people have a better understanding of the tax process, according to the organization’s website.
“It is so important to be engaged with the community,” said Pennie Clayton, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program manager under United Way of Tarrant County. “Where they would pay a fee to get their taxes prepared, that’s money that they can keep within their household.”
Through the program, volunteers can provide the community with tax preparation, as well as help clients enroll in financial education, coaching and workforce skills training.
Clayton said she loves to hear clients say the volunteers helped them understand the tax process and their returns.
The program was started by the IRS over 50 years ago and helps individuals who generally make $69,000 or less, persons with disabilities and taxpayers who speak limited English, according to the IRS website. The program eligibility requirements may change per tax season.
Le, who had previously used TurboTax, said doing his own taxes was stressful because he didn’t know if he was doing them right and didn’t want to be audited if he put information down incorrectly.
He said he searched on Google for ways to file his taxes that applied to his income and disability status and found the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. He said he went to the FC Shadow Brook VITA Community Tax Center, which accepts walk-ins.
Le said the volunteer helping him explained tax credits he could receive he didn’t know about.
“The wealth and knowledge that they have as well about our situations, it’s just great, especially with people with disabilities,” Le said. “It’ll be great for the disabled community.”
Apart from the stress, programs like this one can also help relieve financial burden.
According to Ramsey Solutions, a company that helps people manage their finances, the average cost for a basic tax form preparation with a tax professional is anywhere from $300 to $600, which usually covers a standard 1040 and state return with no itemized deductions.
Accounting senior Patrick Jannes is one of about 125 volunteers of the program and said the people in charge make it easy to get involved.
Jannes said he usually sees people who are on the older side get help through the program.
“A lot of people that come in, they’re usually on the older side, so they didn’t grow with computers, so there’s a big technology gap going on,” he said. “What you’re really helping with is the technology side of things.”
Jannes has also helped prepare returns for non-English speakers and said they usually know why they’re there and show up with the necessary documents.
Residents should bring the following documentation to the appointment:
Photo IDOriginal Social Security card or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number for everyone listed on the tax returnCopy of last year’s tax returnAll W-2 wage statements for 2025SSA-1099, 1099-R and 1099-GCash income amount and work expenses1095 health coverage formDirect deposit information
“Community involvement is good. Being able to get out there to speak with people, provide some kind of service, not trying to get anything in return, is a good thing for community,” Jannes said. “It lets you know that there are people out there who care and who just want to help out without expecting anything in return.”
Clayton, who has been working under the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program for 14 years, shared a similar sentiment.
“You have your ups and downs in life, period, but every year, the satisfaction is there knowing that we’re serving others, we’re giving back,” she said.
During tax season, residents can find in-person or virtual locations near them through the program’s Locator Tool, and can find a list of the documents required on the IRS website. Residents can also call 211 to get more information and guidance regarding the tax process.
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