Hello John,

We are excited to share the second edition of the Tax Prep Digest, a weekly update from Prosperity Now that brings you the latest news from the IRS, TaxSlayer and our national network of Free Tax Prep Partners.

VITA/AARP/TCE Free Tax Prep Production as of 3/07/22

Federal Returns Accepted = 830,594
Federal Refunds Claimed = $1,258,001,580

Updates

Prosperity Now

VITA Grantees who have not yet been funded should contact Graham O’Neill via email at [email protected].

SPEC updated the community that approximately 50% of grantees have not received their funding, and Prosperity Now wants to help our partners at the IRS by helping VITA organizations navigate the funding process. Please reach out if you need help.

#VITAAwarenessDay and #TaxTuesday!

VITA Awareness Day is tomorrow and Prosperity Now has put together some social media materials to help you lift your VITA messaging and an opportunity to win a $50 gift card by sharing your VITA story! Check out our 2022 VITA Awareness Day toolkit for copy-paste social media posts, graphics and data sheets on the impact of VITA in local communities. Don't forget to use #VITAAwarenessDay and tag @ProsperityNow in all your efforts!

Also, our team has launched a new social media campaign called #TaxTuesday where we share weekly videos addressing different tax issues. Check it out!

Cheers to $30M in VITA Funding for FY2022!

The Omnibus spending bill was signed into law today with $30M in VITA funding for fiscal year 2022! VITA funding has more than doubled since 2015. Fantastic job, VITA advocates!!

Advocacy Alert! Sign on to Support VITA Funding at $45M for FY2023

In the coming weeks, Congress will consider 2023 funding levels, and Prosperity Now and United Way are partnering to push Congress to fund VITA at $45M for the fiscal year 2023. Click the above link to read and sign our letter of support!

IRS/SPEC

IRS unveils voice and chat bots to assist taxpayers with simple collection questions and tasks; provides faster service, reduced wait times

These new features are currently able to help taxpayers with how to make one-time payments, answer FAQs and provide clarification about collection notices. More robust features will be added as the year progresses.

TaxSlayer

Customer Portal – New Management Reports

These reports will help VITA orgs identify which clients have been sent a client portal registration link and who among them has used the link to register.

TaxSlayer Pro Online: What we know

A listing of all the technical issues that TaxSlayer is aware of. This is a good page to bookmark and check if you run into an issue in the software.

National Partners

Love Your Neighbors: Help Families Receive Full Tax Benefits – 3/16/22 @ 1pm EST

The faith community, with help from the United Way and Prosperity Now, will be hosting a CTC/EITC outreach webinar on March 16th @ 1:00 pm. Gene Sperling, Senior Advisor to the President, will be joining the event.

Get It Back Campaign – Tax Time Thursdays

The Center on Budget & Policy Priorities’ Get It Back Campaign is hosting a learning series held throughout the tax season that features a brief presentation (20 minutes or less) on aspects of EITC outreach.

Center for Taxpayer Rights: How Did We Get Here – Correspondence Exams and the Erosion of Fundamental Taxpayer Right - Parts 1 & 2

Two-part series that examines how 70% of all IRS individual audit closures for TY 2018 returns involved EITC even though only 17.2% of individual income tax returns claim EITC and provides recommendations on reforms that can be made to correct this gross inequity.