Norton Working With UDC to Provide Free Tax Preparation for D.C. Residents Until April

Norton Working With UDC to Provide Free Tax Preparation for D.C. Residents Until April

March 16, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC -- The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) in conjunction with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) is offering free tax preparation services for D.C low- and moderate-income residents. Tax preparation is available by appointment only Monday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., at Matthews Memorial Baptist Church, 2632 Martin Luther King Jr., Avenue SE, until April 17. To schedule an appointment call, 207-8829. Participants are asked to bring a photo ID, W-2, 1098 and 1099, itemized deductions, 2009 tax returns, homebuyer settlement statements, and a blank check for direct deposit.

Trained UDC volunteers are supervised on site to help residents with their tax forms, including many special credits passed during the lame-duck session to help people recover from the recession. Among the many credits are the $5,000 D.C. homebuyer tax credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and the Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled, among others. Filing is done electronically, which helps residents get their returns quickly from the Internal Revenue Service and the District.

"The UDC-Norton VITA site has been open for two weeks and has already prepared taxes for dozens of D.C. residents," said Norton. "For those D.C. residents who were unable to attend my annual Saturday Tax and Financial Services Fair last month, this free tax preparation service is an equally good alternative."

Norton's free one-day Annual Tax and Financial Services Fair, held in February at the Washington Convention Center, provided several financial planning services and information to residents, and prepared more than 320 tax returns.