In case you haven’t heard, we have GREAT news for the start of tax season: The omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2023 included $40 million for our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program!  

Congratulations to YOU, our Prosperity Now Community and especially our TON members—what an amazing achievement. In a very short span of time, in an incredibly difficult political environment, we went from $12 million to $15 million to $18 million to $25 million to $30 million…and now to $40 million! What an accomplishment for TON, our VITA field, national partner United Way Worldwide, and our advocates across the nation. Just WOW.  

As you know, for over half a century, the VITA program has provided free tax preparation services to lower-income Americans. Built on public-private partnerships and led by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the VITA program trains and certifies volunteers to help low- and moderate-income families who cannot afford the often-exorbitant fees for professional tax services are who need assistance to accurately complete their taxes. Each year, thousands of IRS-certified volunteers—working at sites in every state—assist individuals and households of limited means, persons with disabilities, and those with limited English proficiency in accurately fulfilling their tax obligations. These volunteers also ensure that families can claim and keep the full amount of any tax credits that they have earned and are eligible for, including the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).   

The success of the VITA program is unmatched. In 2022, more than 3,200 VITA sites prepared 1,030,000 tax returns which generated $1.8 billion in refunds to low- and moderate-income households. Additionally, VITA sites maintained a 96.4% accuracy rate—the highest in the industry.     

Can’t stop, won’t stop? Let’s keep growing this critical program! We’re going to continue to push to get increased funding for fiscal year 2024—so stay tuned! And don’t forget to join us for EITC Awareness Day on Friday, January 27—toolkit here!