PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As tax season kicks off, the Campaign for Working Families (CWF) is offering free tax preparation across the city starting Monday.
The Philadelphia-based nonprofit, which helps working families achieve economic empowerment, has set up 25 tax prep pop-up sites throughout the city, as well as a few locations in New Jersey.
IRS-certified volunteers are assisting families that make less than $65,000 a year, with an emphasis on maximizing federal and state tax credit programs that they are entitled to.
Dr. Nikia Owens, CWF president and CEO, has found that many taxpayers are surprised to learn of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) — about $100 million of which is left unclaimed each year in Philadelphia.
“There’s about 50,000 individuals in Philadelphia that do not claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, and if you know anything about the Earned Income Tax Credit, it’s really the most effective anti-poverty fighting program …