No images? Click here 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 and a Google Calendar event 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. 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 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 InviteYou 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 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 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 NetworkGetYourRefund.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. 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 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. 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 www.211.org/ctc. You’ll be able to access high-level information items perfect for clients and other stakeholders. TaxTimeHub.org TaxTimeCrisis.org is now TaxTimeHub.org. 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 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 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 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. 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 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 and a guide to the 1099-G Form and how different states deliver it. Tools and Information for the FieldUpdates from the IRS and SPECNon-filer Portal The Treasury Department and the IRS have unveiled an online Non-filer Sign-up Tool 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 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 for important software updates. IRS SPEC Partner Webcast Schedule Click here 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 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. Your feedback is needed for both federal and state returns, as well as reports.
Learning |