Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides free tax preparation services to individuals and families making less than $50,000. VITA clients save an average of $200 in tax preparation fees through VITA. Last year, VITA returned $2.9 million back into the pockets of Lancaster County residents. Let VITA help you get your hard-earned money back!

Schedule An Appointment

Call 2-1-1 or (717) 291-5462 to speak with one of United Way's trained information and referral specialists who can help you determine if you qualify for the VITA free tax preparation service, and who can help you schedule an appointment at one of our 18 VITA sites in Lancaster County. Click here to view the VITA sites and find a location near you.

Call 2-1-1

View our Cancellation Procedure and Bad Weather Policy here.

What To Bring To Your VITA Appointment

To prepare your tax returns, we need to have the proper documents. For the list of what documents and information you should bring with you to your appointment, click here.

How Does VITA Help You?

VITA helps put hard-earned money back in the pockets of low-to-moderate income wage earners in the form of tax refunds and tax credits. And the free service saves taxpayers the expense of tax preparation services, which average about $200. Last year we saved taxpayers $518,000 in fees.

We'll file ALL your federal, state, and local forms for FREE.
Our VITA volunteers are IRS trained and certified to ensure you get the refunds and tax credits you are entitled to.
Over 18 convenient locations throughout Lancaster County.
VITA volunteers can maximize your EITC if you qualify.

Earned Income Tax Credit Information (EITC)

Number of Children:	Single workers with income less than:	Married workers with income less than:	Earned Income Tax Credit up to:
No children	$13,980	$19,190	$470
1 child	$36,920	$42,130	$3,169
2 children	$41,952	$47,162	$5,236
3 or more children	$45,050	$50,270	$5,891

The EITC is a valuable tax credit available to working families and individuals.
VITA volunteers are trained to maximize your EITC if you qualify.

Who's Eligible

You qualify to have your income taxes prepared free of charge at our VITA locations in Lancaster County if in 2012:

Your total household income was $50,000 or less
You did not receive military pay
You did not receive clergy pay
You did not have income from the ownership of a farm
You did not have rental property income
You did not own a business
You did not have income from trading stocks or bonds
You did not have a cancellation of debt
You did not have a foreclosure
You did not have income from Puerto Rico

How it Began

Lancaster County’s VITA program started with outreach efforts from our Women's Council whose members learned that each year, millions of dollars of tax refunds went unclaimed because taxpayers didn't know they were eligible for, or didn't claim, valuable tax credits for working families. Recognizing that income is an important building block for a better life, the Women's Council began outreach efforts to educate families about the opportunities available.

Volunteer

Interested in learning more about the VITA program and what you can do to get involved as a tax preparer? Find out more here.

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No taxpayer shall be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, reprisal, disability or age in programs or activities supported by the Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service. All reasonable accommodations will be made for taxpayers with a disability at no cost.

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