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Dear John,

Hot off the presses! VITACon is back (albeit virtually)! Here’s what you’ll need to know for Virtual VITACon. We’re hosting the three-day event from Sept. 28 – 30, with sessions, networking and overall good times from 12:15 p.m.– 5 p.m. ET each day. We have created a handy .ics file for Outlook and iCal [[link removed]] and a Google Calendar event [[link removed]] for our Google users. You can download them to save the date directly to your calendar of choice. In the meantime, the VITACon planning committee will be working diligently to develop a robust agenda for you. If you would like to provide input into the agenda for VITACon, please complete this survey [[link removed]]. We want to hear from you to make this VITACon a success!

In other TON news, we recently produced a webinar on the latest tax law changes [[link removed]] and what you’ll need to know for the next filing season. Please check it out on our website along with the links that were mentioned during the session. We know that tax law is always evolving, so this is one update you don’t want to miss.

Finally, we’re working our way towards the peak of our offseason activities, so stay tuned for our Recommended Practices documents, Key Elements for Campus VITA, VITA-Train and more. Fall is coming sooner than we think.

“See” You Soon,

Rebecca M. Thompson, Interim Vice President, Strategic Partnerships & Network Building

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

– Mother Teresa

Spotlight: Virtual VITACon Invite

You are cordially invited to join the TON team for Virtual VITACon later next month. Virtual VITACon will take place Sept. 28 – 30, with sessions from 12:15 p.m.– 5 p.m. ET. This three-day extravaganza will offer sessions on topics from volunteer management to program capacity and fundraising. Please answer our VITACon Agenda Items survey [[link removed]] and tell us what you want to discuss during this year's event.

We’re thrilled to be able to bring you the same quality and entertainment you’d expect at an in-person VITACon in a fully virtual environment. Take a moment to check out our page [[link removed]] to find out more about the sessions. We’ll be updating it regularly, so keep an eye out for future emails. We’re looking forward to “seeing” you soon!

Updates from the Network

GetYourRefund.org Volunteer Opportunity

GetYourRefund is looking for volunteers to mobilize a national effort for postseason filing. This effort, known as the National Tax Justice Service Team, needs your help. Join this effort today by filling out the interest form [[link removed]]. Thank you for your help on this project; we’re excited to get started!

Help Wanted: TaxSlayer State Guide

GetYourRefund and Prosperity Now need your help to fill out a state tax guide. This quick guide [[link removed]] can provide valuable information for your state and others in TaxSlayer, which can be especially useful on those tricky out-of-state returns. If you need a frame of reference for completing your state’s section, you can use the existing Prosperity Now state income tax guide [[link removed]]. We thank you for your help on this effort.

CTC & 211.org

Our partners at United Way Worldwide announced the release of more information on the CTC on 211.org. You can visit it via the link [[link removed]]. You’ll be able to access high-level information items perfect for clients and other stakeholders.

TaxTimeHub.org

TaxTimeCrisis.org is now TaxTimeHub.org [[link removed]]. Check in to find messaging tools, takeaway messages and more on the ARPA and CTC. In addition, you’ll be able to use resources for both your organizations and partners as well as tax filers directly. You do not want to miss out!

Non-filer, Stimulus and CTC Outreach Resources from NDI

NDI’s Financial Resilience Center launched their page [[link removed]] to help guide tax filers around the Economic Impact Payments, CTC and non-filer status portals. This page can help you navigate these new challenges and provide solutions to your partners, clients and other VITA stakeholders.

MomsRising Resource Toolkit

MomsRising published a bilingual (English and Spanish) toolkit [[link removed]] surrounding the expansion of the Child Tax Credit. The toolkit includes sample tweets, graphics, video links and more! To find out more about their efforts, you can follow the link [[link removed]] to their website.

CBPP Outreach Materials

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ Get It Back Campaign has released a new Toolkit for Stimulus Check Outreach to Immigrant Families [[link removed]]. It features a media guide, talking points, sample social media posts, flyers, a radio PSA script, text message and email. The toolkit is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish and Vietnamese. While benefitting immigrant families, the toolkit also can be used through the remainder of the year to connect with harder-to-reach populations such as families with no or low-incomes, families with a member who is incarcerated, people who lack secure housing, people without Internet access and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) communities.

EIP Guide

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau updated its guide on the three Economic Impact Payments in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Tagalog. This guide [[link removed]] answers a series of FAQs based on the newest tax law information all in one convenient location.

Unemployment Benefits & Taxes

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ Get It Back Campaign has new resources to help people understand taxes and unemployment benefits: a guide to paying federal, state and local taxes on unemployment benefits [[link removed]] and a guide to the 1099-G Form and how different states deliver it [[link removed]].

Tools and Information for the FieldUpdates from the IRS and SPEC

Non-filer Portal

The Treasury Department and the IRS have unveiled an online Non-filer Sign-up Tool [[link removed]] designed to help eligible families who don’t normally file tax returns register for the monthly Advance Child Tax Credit payments, which began on July 15. This tool is also designed to help eligible individuals who don’t normally file income tax returns register for the $1,400 third round of Economic Impact Payments and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit for any amount of the first two rounds of Economic Impact Payments they may have missed.

Zip Code-level Data Now Available

The Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Analysis analyzed IRS data to identify the location of children who should be part of the expanded and newly-advanceable Child Tax Credit (CTC) but who had not been claimed on a recent tax return. The data can be used to help organizations focus their outreach efforts seeking to sign up non-filers for monthly CTC payments. This ZIP Code-level analysis is available here [[link removed]].

TaxSlayer Support Info

Please use the following information to create a support ticket with TaxSlayer this filing season:

Phone: 1-800-421-6346

Email: [[email protected]]

Support Hours (Beginning April 16):

Monday – Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET

Also, be sure to check out the TaxSlayer VITA/TCE Blog [[link removed]] for important software updates.

IRS SPEC Partner Webcast Schedule

Click here [[link removed]] to get the full 2021 schedule for IRS SPEC Partner Webcasts to ensure that you stay up-to-date on the latest news and resources from IRS SPEC.

Link and Learn

The online certification and tax law curriculum from IRS SPEC is available for use by VITA/TCE volunteers. This Fact Sheet [[link removed]] and Volunteer Tax Alert [[link removed]] provide important information necessary for certification.

TaxSlayer Suggestion Box [[link removed]]

Do you have thoughts or ideas on how to improve TaxSlayer to help you run your sites more efficiently and make it easier to prepare and file more quality returns? Share them in the  VITA/TCE Suggestion Box [[link removed]]. Your feedback is needed for both federal and state returns, as well as reports.

Learning

OpportunitiesUpcoming Learning Opportunities

Financial Empowerment for the Workplace Guide Webinar [[link removed]]

Aug. 31 | 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET

Our partners at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau launched their Financial Empowerment for the Workplace Guide [[link removed]] – join them on their latest webinar to find out more about it! This guide can share how to include financial empowerment for their organizations with training and resources.

If you have ideas for future learning events, stories or resources, contact us at  [email protected] [[link removed]].

Recent Webinars and Events

VITA Offseason Prep: Tax Law Updates [[link removed]]

The last filing season has been full of ups and downs, but TON is here to help sort out the tax law changes that will impact your VITA site going forward. This 90-minute webinar covered the tax law changes as they occurred, what you did to ensure quality returns and what you expect going forward. Our TON VITA field experts shared some of their thoughts and perspectives from their local sites.

Camp Prosperity [[link removed]]

During this 3-part virtual learning session aimed at local advocates, service providers, and practitioners interested in engaging in advocacy to strengthen financial security for the communities they serve, participants had the opportunity to learn from advocacy experts and share successes and challenges with a community of other advocates.

Session Topics included:

Mapping Influence: Understanding Who and How to Engage for ChangeSuccessful Allyship in Grassroots AdvocacyAdvocating for Equity-centered Policies

The ARPA Opportunity Webinar [[link removed]]

This webinar hosted by our partners at Commonwealth tackles some of the opportunities to come from the American Rescue Plan Act. Topics covered include the role of FinTech, financial security, and more!

Virtual Advocacy

Want to get started on virtual advocacy, but don’t know how to start [[link removed]]? To find resources for effective advocacy at every level, visit our Prosperity Now Advocacy Toolkit [[link removed]].

How Tax Policy Can Help Low-Income Americans’ Pandemic Plight [[link removed]]

Febr. 26, 2021

In this episode of Tax Notes Talk, Rebecca Thompson of Prosperity Now, discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected low-income communities and families of color in the United States, and what tax policy tools could help them.

VITA Leadership Institute Year One Analysis [[link removed]]

Oct. 22, 2020

After a successful VITA Leadership Institute, we want you to join us in sharing our results and how we plan to move forward! This is a can’t-miss event for newer programs wanting to get an inside look at all aspects of a great VITA program!

TON COVID-19 Listening Session [[link removed]]

April 28, 2020

We’ve broken down the most impactful resources from our national partners around COVID-19 as well as the new GetYourRefund.org virtual VITA pilot.

Evaluating Tax Time Savings Behaviors [[link removed]]

Have you ever wondered what tax time savings and behaviors look like on the national scale? Well, wonder no more because the Taxpayer Opportunity Network is here to provide you with the answers!

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