KATU hosting "Tax Help Day" to answer your tax questions
It’s “Tax Help Day” here at KATU -- we’ll have tax experts in the KATU studios to answer your tax questions for free. Our phone bank will be open this evening between 4 and 7 p.m. To speak with our tax experts you can call (800) 346-9256.
You can also post your questions on the KATU News Facebook page.
You may want to ask the tax experts about the “Earned Income Tax Credit” or EITC for short. It’s primarily a refund for working families, but one in five people who qualify for it don't take advantage of the credit.
“People without children are also eligible for an amount,” explained Becky Facer, who works at the Internal Revenue Service. “I think that's the population that most often leaves it on the table.”
To be eligible for the credit, you must file a return and it certainly could be worth your time.
Take a look at the maximum credits:
- No qualifying children: $475
- 1 child: $3,169
- 2 children: $5,236
- 3 or more children: $5,891
To qualify, you must have earned income from employment, self-employment or other designated sources. Social security, unemployment benefits, and child support does not count toward your earned income. The IRS has more details about earned income on their website.
You can get free tax prep help at the IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center in downtown Portland on Mondays and Tuesdays. The hours are listed on their website.
You can also get free help from the AARP. Tax preparers will check your EITC eligibility and help you file your return. To find a location, click here.
The IRS also has an EITC question-and-answer section on their website.
Because I haven't had enough deductions for the last twenty years to use the long form, I have been pretty much paying a flat tax. Â A very high flat tax rate. Â Is it the "earned income tax credit" that lets people get more money back than they paid in? Â If so, that's a crock.
@Shadow No, the Earned Income Credit is for low income working people.  I don't get that, but I certainly get more back than I paid in and don't file long form either.  Sounds like you make enough you shouldn't be hurting that badly.
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@Dr. Rawdog Tree killer
@Dr. Rawdog I'm all for a flat tax as long as I continue to receive my paltry little refunds.  Forty-five pages?  I guess filing short-form is out for you, am I right?  =)
@Sundowner @Dr. Rawdog Ha that was the short form... lol