Free Tax Help For Napa County Residents Offered By United Way Bay Area

NAPA COUNTY, CA — Low- and middle-income Napa County residents have online, in-person, and hybrid options to get free and secure assistance filing their taxes. These programs are offered through United Way Bay Area.

On Feb. 4, more than 50 locations across the Bay Area region began offering in-person tax preparation services, including five sites in Napa County. (See a map of the in-person tax sites here.)

Online tax preparation services are also available in numerous languages — including English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese — to clients filing with a social security number or an ITIN.

“We are pleased to offer free, secure, and high-quality tax preparation services for eligible Bay Area residents as part of our poverty-fighting programs,” said Kevin Zwick, CEO of United Way Bay Area. “It is important for taxpayers to get every tax refund dollar they are owed. Thanks to the hard work of our trained volunteers, low-income Bay Area residents can take full advantage of cash-back tax credits like the Cal EITC and the Federal and California Child Tax Credit.”

Tax returns are prepared by IRS-certified volunteers who help taxpayers maximize their
refunds. In 2022, more than 1,000 IRS-certified tax volunteers helped over 32,000 Bay Area families claim $53 million in federal tax refunds through the Free Tax Help program. Since 2003, volunteers have facilitated almost a billion dollars in refunds to Bay Area households.

While the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit have returned to pre-pandemic levels, filing in 2023 can still mean more money back to working families, especially those with children, according to United Way Bay Area. With cash-back tax credits like the Federal and California Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Federal and California Child Tax Credit, California residents who made less than $30,000 in 2022 may be eligible for up to $8,000 in state and federal tax credits, depending on income and family size.

Bay Area residents can visit one of the 50-plus tax sites for in-person tax preparation and drop-off, which is made easier with the help of a materials checklist.

United Way Bay Area has also partnered with Code for America to offer 100 percent online filing through GetYourRefund.org. Lastly, clients who wish to prepare and file their own tax returns can sign up for a Zoom session to get one-on-one help from an IRS-certified tax preparer.