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Don't Forget: TON End of Year Survey
The 2022 Taxpayer Opportunity Network End of Season Survey is available now. We are asking that only one staff member per organization take this survey. It should take about 25 minutes to complete, and we recommend you have your tax season data and client demographics on hand. Please take the survey here to share your thoughts and insights on this tax season!
Unpacking the Tax Season with Ancel Tejada from MASSCAP
This tax season, VITA organizations across the country continued to address the unmet financial needs of low-income communities as a result of COVID-19, and the financial disparities faced by BIPOC communities caused by centuries of systemic racism. Many programs utilized both in-person and virtual tools to successfully reach their clients, a process that provided new opportunities as well as unique challenges.
To learn more about the work of organizations during this tax season, we sat down with Ancel Tejada, the Program Manager for Financial Empowerment at the Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP) and a grantee of Prosperity Now’s VITA Pilot program. This program, funded by the Citi Foundation, provided five organizations with subgrants to analyze the needs of their first-time and lapsed filers, which is a key demographic given the many recent tax law changes.
Updates from the Network
The 2022 Tax Season Debrief
On May 5, the Taxpayer Opportunity Network (TON) held its annual Tax Season Debrief. The debrief was an opportunity to hear recommendations and ideas from partner organizations to improve the 2023 filing season, increase the efficiency of VITA organizations and better serve the tax filers in our communities. Around 6,743 tax prep sites were active this tax season, filing more than 2 million returns and helping clients claim over 2.7 billion dollars in refunds. Over 130 practitioners from the VITA field attended the debrief to reflect on their efforts this tax season, to discuss challenges such as volunteer capacity and effective marketing to clients, as well as to share their successes implementing virtual, hybrid, drop-off and in-person service delivery models.
IRS VITA Partner Recognition Ceremony
On May 3, the IRS held its annual VITA Partner Recognition Ceremony to highlight the contributions of individuals and organizations throughout the VITA field. Several VITA volunteers were recognized for going above and beyond to elevate their communities, including the Barbara DelBene VITA/TCE Quality Award winner Marshall Hunt, of the Detroit Accounting Aid Society. Several TON members were acknowledged for their contributions this tax season, including Mesa United Way, United Way of Greater Atlanta, and Building Skills Partnership. TON was also awarded a Champions of Training award for our contributions to the field and the resources provided via VITA-Train.
119 Organizations Sign on in Support of Funding for the Community VITA Matching Program
A joint letter from Prosperity Now and United Way to the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations was
signed by 119 VITA organizations. The proposal calls for $45 million in funding for the Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Matching Grant Program in the 2023 fiscal year. Increased funding would allow VITA sites to expand their services with additional training, staff and new locations, to maintain the effectiveness of the program and low error rate, increase outreach efforts to low-income households and address the increased need caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tools and Information for the Field
Resources from the Network
FY23 VITA Grant Application Office Hours
Prosperity Now staff will be helping TON members who have questions or need general assistance with their FY23 Grant Application during set office hours throughout the rest of May. You can schedule a 30 minute meeting here.
VITA-Train
Prosperity Now VITA-Train includes streamlined VITA training modules to make things easier for you and your volunteers to become certified. Each module is available to download in either PowerPoint or pdf format.
Virtual Advocacy Toolkit
Prosperity Now Want to get started on virtual advocacy, but don’t know how to start? To find resources for effective advocacy at every level, visit our Prosperity Now Advocacy Toolkit.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Resources
Your Guide to Filing Your Taxes in 2022: These resources include all things tax from the expanded Child Tax Credit, Economic Impact Payments and ways to file. These are ideal as a client-facing resource so check it out today.
Resources from IRS/SPEC and TaxSlayer
IRS SPEC Partner Webcast Schedule
Click here to get the full 2022 schedule for IRS SPEC Partner Webcasts to ensure that you stay up to date on the latest news and resources from IRS SPEC.
TaxSlayer Support Information
Phone: 1-800-421-634
Email: [email protected]
Blog: Be sure to check out the TaxSlayer VITA/TCE Blog for important software updates.
Share your thoughts or ideas on how TaxSlayer could be improved using the VITA/TCE Suggestion Box. Your feedback is needed for both federal and state returns, as well as reporting.
Learning
Opportunities
Upcoming Events
Code for America Makes Get Your Refund Summit: May 17-18, 2022
The Code for America annual summit brings together changemakers from across the country to collaborate and assess government’s biggest challenges by removing barriers and finding real solutions that can make our systems work well for everyone. The two-day event will feature both in person sessions in Washington D.C. as well as virtual workshops and discussions.
