Impact Alabama
By Liz Quin , Impact Alabama committee chair
The Junior League of Montgomery has once again provided volunteer services with Impact Alabama via their Save First Initiative . Because of the COVID epidemic , this placement has been converted into a virtual tax preparation service . Junior League of Montgomery members were trained to certify as IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance ( VITA ) volunteers . This was done by using a self-paced , online learning class . Once they successfully completed certification , they worked on tax preparation via Zoom meetings . Because of this year ’ s unusual circumstances , our volunteers helped families across southern Alabama including Montgomery , Dothan , Mobile , and Auburn .
The goal of the Save First Initiative is to provide cost-free tax preparation services to low-income families . This service saves those families hundreds of dollars in commercial tax preparation fees . They also ensure that these families receive income credits to which they are entitled . One of these credits is the Earned Income Tax Credit ( EITC ). The EITC is the largest anti-poverty government program for low-to-moderate-income working families . It reduces the tax burden as well as provides incentive to find work , especially for single mothers . This year ’ s tax preparation also includes a Recovery Rebate Credit Worksheet . This is done to ensure that those eligible for Economic Impact Payments ( EIPs ) can claim them .
Junior League of Montgomery ~ League Logs ~ Summer 2021
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