A volunteer and client at EBALDC which has been and EKS Coalition member since 2002

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the largest, and arguably the most effective, anti-poverty program in the United States. It lifts millions above the poverty line each year—half of them children. Unfortunately, as many as a quarter of eligible low-wage workers nationwide fail to claim the credit, which can now bring a family of five up to $5,657—the largest payment many receive all year long.

For the last seven years, United Way’s Earn It! Keep It! Save It! (EKS) initiative, a free tax preparation service with more than 180 locations in the Bay Area, has been helping low-income individuals and families claim the tax refunds they deserve. These tax refunds don’t just help families. The$47.4 million returned by EKS sites to more than 47,000 Bay Area households last year stimulates our local economy. By some estimates for every dollar received, $1.40 is spent locally.

Unfortunately, rather than taking advantage of the free IRS-certified volunteer tax preparation available to them through Earn It! Keep It! Save It!, many EITC recipients file their tax returns through a paid tax preparer, which can cost hundreds of dollars. “I’m a big fan of Earn It! Keep It! Save It! I’ve been a client for two years. They saved me $700 in what I would have paid to Jackson Hewitt,” said Stacey Troupe, an EKS client. “In fact, the EKS volunteer corrected a mistake that Jackson Hewitt made in the previous year, and I got an even bigger refund.” All Earn It! Keep It! Save It! sites are open until April 15 and some are open year round. Households
with income under $49,000 qualify for free tax help.

Call 2-1-1 or go to visit Earn It! Keep It! Save It! today to find a site near you.