COLUMBUS, Ohio – Dozens of volunteers are trained and ready to provide free tax-return preparation for low- and moderate-income workers.
READ MORE: In the Columbus Dispatch
“Don’t pay someone to do your taxes,” said Kermit Whitfield, a spokesman for the United Way of Central Ohio. “There’s free help — call 2-1-1 to make an appointment.”
Many Franklin County residents already have, which is limiting the slots typically left for walk-ins during Tax Time’s Super Saturday event this weekend at Columbus Downtown High School.
Organizers expected about 200 filers, but more than 320 had made appointments by yesterday, Whitfield said.
Volunteers will do their best to accommodate everyone who shows up from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, he said. But making an appointment at one of the other Tax Time sites open through mid-April likely would reduce waits.
Tax Time is a local network of nonprofit, business and government organizations offering no-cost tax assistance and financial education. Households with incomes of $60,000 or less are eligible for the free services.
The Saturday event is Tax Time’s largest. It will feature a financial-resource fair with information on checking and savings accounts, enrolling in health-care coverage, understanding and repairing credit scores, college financial-aid forms, and public-assistance applications.