Goodwill ready to offer free income tax return preparation

It’s that time of year once again — the annual filing of those state and federal income tax returns — and the Goodwill office in Columbus is once again offering to prepare returns for free. It starts Tuesday.

The only stipulation for the no-charge tax return preparation is that those eligible must have had a household income of $54,000 or less in 2017.

The service kicks off Tuesday at the Goodwill Columbus Career Center, 2601 Cross Country Drive, Building A. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

While walk-ins are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis at the Columbus location, Goodwill’s career centers in the Midland area of Columbus and in Phenix City are only available by appointment. To make a reservation, call 706-256-1837.

The River Valley Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Coalition, or VITA, is assisting Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers with the tax return preparation. This is the eighth year the service has been provided. In 2016, Goodwill helped with 4,556 tax returns, which yielded more than $5 million in federal refund dollars.

Whether you’re filing your own returns or seeking assistance from a third-party preparation service, the Internal Revenue Service has set Tuesday, April 17, as the deadline for filing returns, unless the taxpayer files for an extension. The traditional April 15 date falls on Sunday, while April 16 is an Emancipation Day legal holiday in the District of Columbia. Thus, the April 17 date is the final deadline for tax return submissions to the IRS.

This story was originally published January 22, 2018 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Goodwill ready to offer free income tax return preparation."