Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

Milwaukee NNSnewsMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University


Language: English English Spanish Spanish

You are here: Home / "How To" articles / Don’t throw your money away: Where you can go for free tax assistance, resources

Don’t throw your money away: Where you can go for free tax assistance, resources

February 12, 2020 by Ana Martinez-Ortiz 1 Comment

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Don’t throw your money away this tax season.

Because of misconceptions, for example, some people often pay for a computer program or a company to file their taxes for them. This can be a costly decision for those struggling to make ends meet because they are paying unnecessary fees. Fortunately, organizations throughout Milwaukee such as the Social Development Commission and Journey House are here to help through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, or VITA.

George Hinton, the chief executive officer of the Social Development Commission, said his organization has a free tax program for people who make $58,000 or less a year. Hinton said the program wants to ensure that taxpayers receive every dollar they’re entitled to.

“We don’t think it’s necessary” for people to pay fees, he said.

Low-income residents can receive help with their tax returns at places such as the Social Development Commission. (Archive photo provided by Social Development Commission)

How the program works

Kathi Rodgers, a site coordinator at the Social Development Commission, helps people file their taxes. When people arrive for their appointments, they need three things: a valid ID, the Social Security cards for everyone in the household and the proper tax forms such as a W2 for all the income they want to claim.

Some individuals may be able to itemize certain purchases. For example, students can bring book receipts; educators could bring receipts for supplies purchased for the classroom; and homeowners can itemize things such as medical bills and home repairs.

“If you think you can get a refund for it, just bring it,” Rodgers said.

On a good day, a typical appointment at the Social Development Commission should take from 45 minutes to an hour. While each appointment is slotted for 30 minutes, people are asked to arrive 15 minutes early to fill out the correct forms and go through the checklist with an intake specialist.

From there, they meet with a site coordinator who helps file their taxes. If eligible for a refund, people can set up a bank account to receive a direct deposit. Otherwise, site coordinators work with individuals to set up a payment plan.

“Sometimes refunds make the difference between a meal and homelessness,” Rodgers said.

The best time to schedule an appointment is mid-February to mid-March. That’s the ideal slow time, because starting around April 1, the commission has to start cramming appointments in.

Ricardo Galaviz, the VITA site coordinator for Journey House, said the organization has been offering free tax assistance for over 10 years. Since taking over as site coordinator, Galaviz has made a point to hire bilingual volunteers.

“I try to cater to the population we’re trying to serve here at Journey House,” he said.

Galaviz explained that the volunteers are certified and trained in tax law. If it’s a simple return, the appointment should take ideally a half hour, he said.

He recommends making the appointment online. People will be able to control their appointments online if they need to reschedule or cancel, he said.

Here are several programs that offer tax assistance.

Resources

Social Development Commission (SDC)

The Social Development Commission, in partnership with United Way, offers free tax preparation and filing to individuals and families living in Milwaukee County. To be eligible individuals must make $58,000 or less. To schedule an appointment, call 414-206-2262 or click here. The sites are open from now until Wednesday, April 15.

Locations:

North Avenue: 1730 W. North Ave.

Teutonia: 6848 N. Teutonia Ave.

Chase: 2968 S. Chase Ave.

Hours:

11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday

8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday

Journey House

Journey House, 2110 W. Scott St., offers free tax preparation through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program from now until Saturday, April 4. Individuals or families must make $54,000 or less to be eligible. Its website lists what to bring to the appointment. To schedule an appointment, click here.

Location:

2110 W. Scott St.

Hours:

4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday

Milwaukee Public Library

The Milwaukee Public Library offers resources to help during tax season, but it does not offer a tax program. Tax forms from 2019 will be available at local library branches throughout Milwaukee. The library will help individuals view forms online and print them for 15 cents a page.

Milwaukee Area Technical College

The Milwaukee Area Technical College is offering free assistance on tax returns. Taxpayers with a family income of $54,000 or less are eligible for the service.

Locations:

Downton Campus (S Building): 700 W. State St.

Oak Creek Campus (Main Building): 6665 W. Howell St.

Hours:

5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Thursdays at the Downtown Campus now through Thursday, April 2.

8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays at the Oak Creek Campus, Room A120 now through Saturday, March, 28

Did we miss a location that offers free tax assistance? Post it in the comments below or send us an email at infor@milwaukeenns.org.

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: "How To" articles, Carousel, Home, Neighborhoods, News

About Ana Martinez-Ortiz

Facebook |  Twitter | More stories from Ana

Ana is the community engagement reporter and beat reporter for neighborhood groups and nonprofits. As the community engagement reporter, Ana is known for writing five things to know/do for the week and weekend, how to articles and spotlight articles. Ana attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and graduated in 2017 with degrees in Spanish and journalism.

Comments

  1. Jim Piontek says

    February 17, 2020 at 11:33 am

    You can find listings and times for the AARP Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) tax sites on web site http://www.aarptaxmke.org.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Recent News

Post from Community: Looking for a job? Here are some opportunities.

5 things to know and do this week in Milwaukee: Feb. 6 to Feb. 10

NNS on ‘Lake Effect’: 5 things to do this February in Milwaukee neighborhoods

Advertisement
Give today to support our mission. Donate to Milwaukee NNS.
Advertisement

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Milwaukee NNS Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494


Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in