The tax deadline is Monday, April 15. With tax season in full swing, dozens of sites are open and offering free tax help and preparation including the Community Center at Bond Park in Cary, one of the busiest AARP Foundations tax-aide sites in North Carolina.
"We do anybody," explained Henry Hartman, site coordinator for the Cary tax-aide site at Bond Park. The Cary location is one of about 5,000 nationwide sponsored by the AARP Foundation. You do not need an AARP membership to use the free tax prep services.
"We do first-time filers, a lot of young kids who have difficulty with education tax credits and are filing their first returns and want to get holdings back on part-time jobs," Hartman said. "And, lots of elderly people, lots of people with tricky tax problems that they may not have a lot of money but there are still complexities we can help them with."
All of the 35,000 volunteers running the AARP Foundation tax-aide sites are IRS certified every year to make sure they understand all the changes to the tax code.
In addition to the AARP locations, the IRS also offers two free tax service programs: Tax Counseling for the Elderly and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) providing free tax help to people making about $55,000 or less as well as those with disabilities and limited English.
For a list of documents to bring with you to file click here.