Helping families work toward financial stability by providing free tax assistance.
United Way’s Tax Assistance Program offers free in-person tax preparation for families and individuals with income of $64,000 or less. Tax prep sites are located throughout the Greater Richmond and Petersburg region. Our work is made possible with the support of the Internal Revenue Service Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Grant and Virginia Community Action Partnership.
“I want to thank you for your service and all the staff at the North Park Library….I did my taxes last Wednesday….All the staff were wonderful helping me. The way they went about caring and the empathy they took with every client, including myself. I just want to thank you all for your wonderful organization and what you all are doing for the community. Continue doing a wonderful, excellent job….Thank you from the deepness of my heart for helping me get my taxes done, and for having it in a neighborhood that is close for everyone to come out. I look forward to seeing you all again. Thank you so much!” -Vanessa, Tax Assistance Program Client
2025 Tax Season
Our community tax sites will open around February 1, 2025. Check back for more details.
If you have access to and are comfortable with technology from a computer or smartphone, see below for more information on our virtual assistance.
Virtual Tax Help
In addition to in-person services, we also now offer a virtual Tax Assistance Program online for tax filing assistance. Our program offers a 100% online tax preparation from the comfort and security of home. This service requires that filers have access to the internet and a camera through a smart phone or a tablet.
This service opens February 1, 2025.
Virtual Tax Assistance Program is run through GetYourRefund. This service opens February 1, 2025. GetYourRefund is a non-profit service built by Code for America in partnership with IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites nationally. Code for America is a non-profit technology organization dedicated to making government work for the people that need it most. This portal meets all IRS security standards and your information will be as secure as if you were visiting one of our in-person tax sites.
- All Virginia Residents can go to GetYourRefund to opt in to the service.
- Answer questions. We’ll ask you to verify your identity as well as a series of questions about your finances.
- Submit documents. Share all necessary documents (ID, W-2’s, 1099, 1095-A,B,C).
- Phone review. We will review everything with you over the phone.
- Get your refund. If you choose to file your taxes, our tax volunteers will help you e-file.
This program is available to any taxpayer:
- With a valid email address and phone number.
- With an income below $64,000.
- With a current SSN or ITIN.
- Please note that all customers are required to provide us with a valid government-issued ID for each taxpayer, social security card/ITIN paperwork for all individuals listed on the tax return, and all tax documents.
OUT-OF-SCOPE for VITA – We DO NOT prepare the following types of returns or forms:
- Returns for those receiving rental income (landlords)
- Partnership or corporate returns
- Returns with farm or fishing income
- Schedule C (sole proprietor business) with losses or employees or inventory or any claim for actual vehicle expenses (vs. standard mileage rate) or expenses over $35,000
- Complicated and advanced Schedule D (capital gains and losses) including transactions using Bitcoin or other virtual currencies or any assets other than stock, mutual funds, or a personal residence
- Returns for taxpayers who are in the U.S. on an F, J, M, or Q visa
- Self-employed health coverage deductions for the premium tax credit
- Returns involving alimony/divorce agreements executed before 1985
- Tax returns for ministers and members of the clergy because of unique tax issues
- Form W-2 with code Q in box 12, indicating combat pay – Military certification requires; only certain sites have volunteers certified for Military returns – contact us
- Energy credits – Form 5695 Part 1 (out-of-scope)
- Form SS-5 (request for Social Security Number)
- Form 8606 (non-deductible IRA)
- Form 8615 (minor’s investment income)
- Form SS-8 (determination of worker status for purposes of federal employement taxes and income tax withholding)
- Certain types of pensions and annuity payments (Box 7 codes 5, 6, 8, 9, A, E, J, K, N, P, R, T, U, W)
If you earn $79,000 or less annually, you qualify to receive free coaching from an IRS-certified volunteer to help you successfully file your tax return. For more information on this service, contact tax@yourunitedway.org.
Become a United Way Tax Assistance Program Volunteer
No prior knowledge or experience is necessary to become a United Way Tax Assistance Program volunteer. We have several roles available to match a variety of skills and interests. Watch a video created by the Get It Back Campaign to show you what being a volunteer will be like.
United Way’s Tax Assistance Program is looking for volunteers to support select in-person tax sites as well as a virtual tax assistance service. Individuals are asked to serve one volunteer shift per week when the season opens in late January 2025.
$2.6 Million in total federal refunds for families in our region – 2023 Tax Season Results
From over 2,980 returns filed
“They had people that were there to assist me – fill out any documents I needed to fill out, all I had to do was sign them. That meant a lot to me because it felt like I was being accommodated.”
Ms. Randall, United Way Tax Assistance Program client since 2016
Ms. Randall had one of the 2,810 tax returns that the United Way Tax Assistance Program helped file in 2022.
Have questions or running into problems?
These are unprecedented times we are in and this is an evolving program not only for you, but for us too. We appreciate your patience while we begin new initiatives like our this virtual assistance process. Learning about any problems that pop up will help us better serve individuals who come after you. We welcome any questions you may have. Please reach out for assistance at any time.