Tax Issues
The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic of The Legal Aid Society of Columbus
Need help preparing your tax return?
VITA sites offer free tax help to taxpayers whose income is less than $40,000. VITA means Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. You can locate the VITA site nearest you by calling toll-free 1.800.829.1040. If you live in Franklin County, you can call 2-1-1 to find a free tax help site operated by the Franklin County EITC Coalition. Call before going to any site to find out important information about what documents or papers you should take to the site, directions to get there, and other details. Click here for more information about the Franklin County EITC Coalition.
The TCE (Tax Counseling for the Elderly) program may be able to help you if you are age 60 or older. You can obtain information on this program by calling toll-free 1.800.829.1040.
As part of the TCE program, the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) offers the Tax-Aide counseling program. Volunteers help people of low-to-middle income with special attention to people age 60 or older. If you are less than 60, however, you may still qualify for help; so, be sure to call before going to one of these sites. To locate the nearest Tax-Aide site call 1.888.227.7669 or Click here to locate a Tax-Aide site near you.
The Ohio Benefit Bank offers free tax help to anyone whose household income is less than $57,000. Call The Ohio Benefit Bank at toll-free 1.800.648.1176 or visit its web page at www.obb.ohio.gov. Click here for more information about The Ohio Benefit Bank.
The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) offers free tax help to people whose income is less than $57,000. Go to the IRS web site at www.irs.gov and click on the link to freefile to learn more about this program and how to use it.
- Have you received a letter from the IRS telling you that your tax return is being audited or examined?
- Have you received a notice from the IRS that there is a deficiency in your taxes?Have you received a notice that the IRS plans to file a lien on your property or garnish your wages for past taxes?
- Have you received a bill from the IRS for taxes from a joint return for which it is unfair to hold you responsible?
- Have you received a letter f rom the IRS about your Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC or EIC)?
- Do you owe a tax debt that you are not able to pay?
If any of these things has happened to you, then the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic of The Legal Aid Society of Columbus may be able to help you. To learn if you qualify for the assistance of our Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and you live in Franklin or Madison Counties , telephone our Columbus office at 1 (614) 241-2001 or at toll-free 1-888-246-4420. If you live in Delaware, Marion, Morrow, or Union Counties telephone our Marion office at 1 (740) 383-2161 or at toll-free 1-888-301-2411. For more information please check out our most recent newsletter.
There are limits on whom we can serve. If your gross household income is greater than 200% of the federal poverty level, then we cannot help you. If you are not sure of your gross household income, ask us to help you calculate it. If you have a controversy with the IRS, it is usually about an amount of money. If that amount is more than $50,000.00, then we cannot help you.
We can make a presentation about the services offered by our Low Income Taxpayer Clinic program and combine with it a presentation on one or more of the following topics:
- Taxation of New U .S. Taxpayers - the rights and responsibilities of US Taxpayers.
- Your federal income tax filing status - the five filing statuses available to taxpayers.
- Dependent Exemptions - whom you can claim as a dependent.
- Child Care Tax Credit - the tax credit for work-related child care expenses.
- Child Tax Credit - a tax benefit for people with low or moderate incomes.
- Earned Income Tax Credit - a tax benefit for working people who earn low or moderate incomes. This is a different credit than the child tax credit.
- Innocent Spouse Relief - Has the IRS sent you a bill for taxes owed on a joint return, but you believe it would be unfair to hold you responsible for these taxes? You may be able to do something about it.
- Injured Spouse Claim - Did you file a joint return with your spouse and expect a refund, but now the IRS is keeping the refund to pay a debt of your spouse? You may be able to do something about it.
- Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) - If you cannot get a valid Social Security Number, then how are you to file a tax return? Here's how.
We have written materials for each of these topics. We can tailor these presentations for different audiences. Some topics can be eliminated for some audiences. We can combine several topics into one presentation. Ask us to prepare a presentation specially tailored for your audience of low-income folks or your organization.
We have brochures prepared by our staff and by The Taxpayer Advocate Service of the Internal Revenue Service. We can supply multiple copies of any or all of these written materials upon request.
If you do not live in our service area or you just want information about income tax issues, here are some other sources:
www.IRS.Gov this is the web site for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Publication 910 "IRS Guide to Free Tax Services"
The Taxpayer Advocate Service
550 Main St. , Room 3530
Cincinnati OH 45202
(513) 263-3260
www.oslsa.org This is the web site of The Ohio State Legal Services Association. It is a state support center for legal aid and legal services programs in Ohio . At its web site under "Pro Bono Opportunities" is information on low-income taxpayer clinics throughout Ohio . If you are lawyer, accountant, enrolled agent, or other tax professional and would like to assist our clinic program or the clinic program in your area, visit this web site for pro bono opportunities.