Local Community Group Helps Low to Moderate Income Families Keep 100% of Their Refund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Miami, Florida – January 23, 2017 — It is more important than ever to prepare accurate income tax returns during the 2017 tax season. A new law requires the IRS to delay issuing refunds for certain taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) until February 15. The law has no exceptions and is designed to make it easier for the IRS to find and stop fraud.

Catalyst Miami houses one of over 12,000 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs across the country that the IRS relies on to help people file their taxes every year, completely free of charge. In 2016 alone, our IRS certified volunteers helped over 2,000 families and individuals in Miami Dade County qualify for and keep 100% of their refunds—over $2.5 million—without worrying about hidden fees or unexpected charges.

On average, many of our clients receive over thirty percent of their annual income in tax refunds, making their tax returns vital to their financial lives. “For more than 10 years, Catalyst Miami has helped individuals and families get their maximum refund that they use on necessities, like paying bills, paying down debt, making new purchases, and saving,” said Mr. Chris Moreno, Community Wealth Manager at Catalyst Miami. “We are dedicated to helping as many community members as we can and encourage taxpayers to be wary of preparers promising faster refunds through expensive financial products, like loans.”

Mr. Moreno adds, “Don’t let people take advantage of you, claiming to be able to get you a quicker refund. High-interest loans and short-term advances on your refund will only cost you in the long run.” Catalyst Miami and community partners will begin the 2017 Tax Filing season in Miami Dade County today on Monday, January 23, 2017.

Who can get free tax prep? Generally, individuals and families who make less than $54,000 are eligible to have their taxes prepared and e-filed for free. Our services are also available to persons with disabilities, the elderly and non-native English speakers who need assistance in preparing their taxes.

High Quality Service. The volunteers and staff tax preparers at Catalyst Miami free tax preparation site go through at least 15 hours of training and are certified by the IRS. We make sure our customers get high-quality, professional service by trained volunteers who are equipped to identify tax refund opportunities for customers. Our goal is to help our customers get their maximum refund and claim all the credits that they have earned. During the 2015 filing season alone, over 90,000 volunteers nationwide helped prepare over 3.7 million returns at thousands of tax sites.

For more information on Catalyst Miami and their expert tax preparation services, visit www.catalystmiami.org. Or, plan on using the Free File Alliance program that allows you to choose brand name tax preparation software at no cost to you. This option is available at www.freefilealliance.org and can be accessed from the comfort of your living room.

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Catalyst Miami is an anti-poverty nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and support individual leaders and strong organizations that work together to improve health, economic opportunity, and civic engagement in our community. To learn more about Catalyst Miami, visit www.catalystmiami.org.

Media Contact:
Molly Delahunty
[email protected]
305-576-5001