AARP Volunteers Make Tax Time Less Taxing

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide will provide free tax assistance & preparation starting in February 2014.

LITTLE ROCK— This year, AARP Foundation is again providing free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers with low to moderate income through AARP Foundation Tax-Aide.

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, in its 45th year, is the nation’s largest free tax assistance and preparation service, giving special attention to those 60 and older.  You do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this free service.

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide sites in Arkansas will be open starting Feb. 1 through April 15 and operate on a first come, first served basis; some sites offer appointments.  Each site’s opening date will depend upon the days of the week on which it will operate. So if a site operates on a Saturday, it will open on Saturday, Feb. 1. If a site operates on a Monday, its first day will be Monday, Feb. 3. If a site operates on a Wednesday, its first day will be Wednesday, Feb. 5, and so on.

For more information or to locate an AARP Foundation Tax-Aide site, visit www.aarp.org/findtaxhelp or call 1-888-AARP-NOW (1-888-227-7669).

“AARP Foundation Tax-Aide exists to help those who might not otherwise have access to tax preparation services," said Lydia Plant, Arkansas State Administrator for AARP Foundation Tax-Aide. “Those who receive tax preparation assistance from our IRS-trained and certified volunteers also avoid any tax preparation fees and pitches for high-interest refund anticipation loans and checks.”

In 2013, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide’s 35,000 volunteers at nearly 6,000 sites provided 2.6 million people with free tax help. Taxpayers who used AARP Foundation Tax-Aide received $1.3 billion in income tax refunds and more than $244 million in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs).

Last year, 290 AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers helped more than 30,640 Arkansans file their federal and state income tax returns.  The program is offered at 28 sites in Arkansas including senior centers, libraries and other convenient locations.  AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is offered in conjunction with the IRS.

About AARP Foundation

AARP Foundation is working to win back opportunity for struggling Americans 50+ by being a force for change on the most serious issues they face today: housing, hunger, income and isolation. By coordinating responses to these issues on all four fronts at once, and supporting them with vigorous legal advocacy, the Foundation serves the unique needs of those 50+ while working with local organizations nationwide to reach more people and make resources go further. AARP Foundation is a charitable affiliate of AARP. Learn more at www.aarpfoundation.org