Free Tax Prep Help Offered All Around Sonoma County

Beginning in January, free tax preparation assistance is available through the Earn It! Keep It! Save It! program in Sonoma County.

The program is open to low- to moderate-income households who earned up to $50,000 last year.

Eligible residents may attend either the Sonoma County kickoff event on Jan. 26 or make an appointment at one of the regional centers throughout Sonoma County (see list below). Walk-in tax preparation services are offered at the kickoff event; however, appointments are usually necessary at the regional centers.

The Sonoma County Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Kick Off Event will be at Empire College, 3035 Cleveland Ave., Santa Rosa on Saturday, Jan. 26 from 9am-1pm. If you prefer to make an appointment for the kick-off event, instead of coming as a walk-in, call 2-1-1.

It is not necessary to attend the kickoff event in Santa Rosa in order to make an appointment at one of the regional Sonoma County tax preparation sites listed below.

Sonoma County regional tax preparation sites include the following locations. To make an appointment for one of these, call 2-1-1 (or 800.325.9604).

CLOVERDALE -Cloverdale Alliance for Financial Education (CAFÉ);

GUERNEVILLE -River to Coast Children’s Services;

HEALDSBURG- Healdsburg Day Labor Center;

PETALUMA- Petaluma People Services Center and Petaluma Public Library;

ROHNERT PARK- Sonoma County Adult and Youth Development;

SONOMA- La Luz Center;

SEBASTOPOL- Community & Family Service Agency;

WINDSOR- Cali Calmeca Language Academy;

SANTA ROSA- Community Action Partnership, Lawrence Cook Middle School, Empire College, Goodwill Industries, Human Services Paulin Building, Roseland University Prep, Sonoma County Dept. of Child Support Services, YWCA.

Earn It! Keep It! Save It! is a United Way led coalition of organizations in Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino Counties that have come together to offer free tax assistance at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites.

The work is done by volunteer EKS tax preparers, who are IRS-certified and who are experts in ensuring clients claim the tax credits they are eligible to receive.

Through the work of volunteers, $2.4 million in refunds were brought back to the local communities in 2012, with an average refund amount of $1,800. The goal of the coalition this year is to prepare at least 2,000 tax returns.  

Stay Patched in! Follow Healdsburg Patch on Twitter | Like Healdsburg Patch on Facebook | Sign up for the daily email with links to the latest news.

Stay Patched in! Follow Rohnert Park Patch on _Twitter |_ Like Rohnert Park Patch on _Facebook_| _Sign up for the daily email_ with links to the latest news.