The Right Thing at the Right Time

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Last year we returned more $57 million dollars to Bay Area families

For Anna Jackson-Hill – a college student juggling tuition, housing expenses and books – free tax help was exactly the break she needed. Rather than paying for taxes, she was able to leverage United Way’s’ Earn It! Keep It! Save It! program, which provides free, high-quality tax help to low-income workers.

“For the past three years, I have been a faithful client to H&R Block,” Anna said. “Unfortunately, on more than one occasion, I was either dissatisfied with the services or contacted by the IRS because of incorrect information. It was extremely frustrating to spend money I didn’t have, to get bad service.” A family member told her about Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Anna worked nearby and gave the service a shot.
“The tax service was exactly what I needed. I received excellent service and got my biggest return yet,” she said. “They answered every question I asked and put my mind at ease. The process of doing my taxes had never been that simple and successful.” This year, Earn It! Keep It! Save It! helped 51,963 Bay Area workers get back more than $57 million in tax
refunds.
These amazing results were possible only with the help of 4,000 trained volunteers who ensure each client takes advantage of every tax credit for which they are eligible, including the education tax credit for students like Anna. Anna is planning to recommend the program to everyone she knows .
“They have changed the way I do taxes for the better,” she said. “I look forward to seeing them next year.”

Opening Doors to Brighter Futures

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Jane is a single mother of five who first walked through the door of the Earn It! Keep It! Save It! free tax preparation site at Community Action Marin in 2009.  United Way and Community Action Marin have partnered for several years on Earn It! Keep It! Save It!, offering free tax assistance and asset-building programs to thousands of low-income Marin residents.

The Earn It! Keep It! Save It! volunteer tax preparer helped Jane claim the Earned Income Tax Credit and a refund of more than $5,500 last year.  Through her visit, Jane was introduced to other programs offered through Community Action Marin’s Prosperity Partners, which are further improving her financial situation.

Jane participated in financial management classes and enrolled in the Individual Development Accounts (IDA) matched-savings program.  She is now saving money, receiving matching funds for every dollar she saves, enabling her to more quickly reach her goal of going back to school.  Jane hopes post-secondary education will help her gain the skills necessary to earn a more competitive salary to support her children.

Further discussion with Jane revealed she was paying overdraft fees on her checking account.  Prosperity Partners was able to offer her a prepaid debit card, which eliminates overdraft charges.  She now uses this card to manage her money and pay bills.

Jane now has hope and motivation to go back to school and move toward financial stability for her and her family.

Building on our existing partnership, United Way and Community Action Marin are working together to launch the SparkPoint Marin Center this year to help even more families like Jane’s.  The Center will bring a full-range of resources together at one location to help low-income families easily access the tools and support they need to move toward financial stability.  Learn more about United Way’s SparkPoint Initiative.

KQED Radio Features Earn It! Keep It! Save It!

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KQED Radio’s Cy Musiker produced a great news segment about Earn It! Keep It! Save It!, the Bay Area’s largest free tax assistance program, which is lead by United Way.  

Listen to the audio clip from KQED News.

To find free tax help in the Bay Area, call 2-1-1 or 800-358-8832, or visit www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org.