Tax Prep Digest - March 28, 2023

Dear John,

Welcome back to the Taxpayer Opportunity Network’s Tax Prep Digest, a bi-weekly update from Prosperity Now that brings you the latest news from the IRS, TaxSlayer and our national network of Free Tax Prep Partners. Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities for the Network!

Support $45 Million for VITA in FY2024!

Prosperity Now and United Way Worldwide are partnering once again to push for increased funding for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in fiscal year 2024. Last year, your efforts resulted in Congress passing a spending bill that funded VITA at $40 million for fiscal year 2023. We've drafted a petition asking Members of Congress to fund VITA at $45 million for FY24 and invite your organization to sign on and show your support! The deadline to sign on is March 31, so show your organization's support ASAP.

Sign On to Support VITA Here!

Latest VITA Numbers from IRS SPEC

VITA/AARP/TCE/Military Free Tax Prep Production as of 3/27/23 (YOY Comparison)

Federal Returns Accepted = 1,612,487 (+ 268,988)

Federal Refunds Claimed = $1,649,574,201 (-$338,234,796)

Federal Returns per EFIN = 236 (+34)

New from Prosperity Now

How-To Guide: VITA Video Site Tours for social media

Short, comprehensive videos are a great way to reach new audiences, amplify your content, drive people to your VITA site and inform a new audience of the work you are doing for your local communities. Prosperity Now would love to work with you to create a video that showcases all of this. By partnering with us, you will have access to our 23K Followers across our social networks and your video will be shared with the 10,000+ Taxpayer Opportunity Network (TON) members.

If a professionally produced video tour of your site sounds like a good idea, check out our how-to guide here. We look forward to seeing your video and working closely together to ensure your VITA site gets the recognition it deserves!

Get the How-to Guide

Tax Tuesday is Every Tuesday!

Check out the latest from our #TaxTuesday campaign, expanding on a different tax topic each week. Follow along on social media @ProsperityNow!

Still waiting for VITA Grant Funds? TON can help.

Your program should have received its grant funds by now. If it hasn’t, it means some part of the funding process isn’t working, and TON and our partners at the Grant Program Office want to help you fix it. For help, please reach out to me ASAP. Together we’ll work with GPO to diagnose the issue, determine what needs to be fixed and in many cases get the funds into your accounts within a week if not by the next day. Don’t wait, reach out now and let us give you a hand.

TaxSlayer Updates

TaxSlayer Pro Online: What We Know – Updated 3/28/2023

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 with the software.

TaxSlayer VITA/TCE Customer Support Information

Phone: 1-800-421-634  
Email: [email protected] 
Note: This is the first place to go with software questions or to report software issues!