Thursday, May 2, 2024
A free program that can assist Hood County residents with tax preparation officially returns Monday, Feb. 5.
Tax-Aide — sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons and the Internal Revenue Service — is the nation’s largest free, volunteer-run tax preparation and assistance service that provides free tax return preparation for people with basic, uncomplicated returns. Individuals with low-to-moderate incomes, seniors, people with disabilities and those with limited English skills usually qualify for this free service.
“Basically, what Tax-Aide is, we work through the VITA, Voluntary Income Tax Assistance, which is an IRS program,” Sharay Boynton, coordinator for the AARP Tax-Aide program, previously told the HCN. “All counselors are VITA-certified, and we provide tax preparation, not just to those over 65, but really anybody who needs assistance, who has a tax return within our scope of abilities.”
The tax preparation assistance will be housed at the Hood County Library, 222 N. Travis St., from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays beginning Monday, Feb. 5 through Wednesday, April 10 — excluding Monday, Feb. 19. A few Saturdays will also be available on select dates: Feb. 17, March 2 and March 23.
Boynton said volunteers have now finished up a week of training and are planning for the upcoming tax season.
"The Tax-Aide volunteers have been serving residents of Hood County for many years and we are looking forward to providing this service again this year,” she said.
Appointment requests will be accepted via phone and online. To schedule an appointment, call 817-382-1005 or visit the online link at: https://tinyurl.com/39txdrtt.
Boynton added that if individuals call the number and don’t get a response, they should expect a callback number from 817-382-1005 — a Springtown caller ID.
For more information, contact Boynton at sharayboynton@gmail.com.
