Free tax help available across Alaska

Need help with a basic tax return or amendment? Tax Aide volunteers provide free tax help to low- to middle-income Alaskans of all ages at sites across the state. (No need to be an AARP member.) They can also help with past-due returns, back to 2015.

Last year volunteers nationwide helped 2.5 million people get $1.3 billion in income tax refunds and more than $212 million in Earned Income Tax Credits.

Find the nearest site at www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide or look at the Tax Aide 2019 site list. Or, call 2-1-1 or 1-800-478-2221, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 211 is a free and confidential service of United Way that points Alaskans to all kinds of assistance, from transportation or food assistance to finding help with child care or long-term care services.

Here's the Anchorage schedule shown above.

Everyone who requests tax help at a Tax Aide site will need to bring a photo ID and a social security card (or photocopy) for each individual on the tax return being prepared, including children. For a complete list of what to bring (income documents, etc.), visit freetaxprepanc.com, or call 211 or 1-800-478-2221.

While Tax Aide volunteers can't help with complex returns, such as those with rental properties, the team of IRS-certified volunteers can accommodate standard tax complications that come with retirement and other life changes.

Returns that itemize significant damage from the earthquake may be beyond the scope of Tax Aide volunteers, depending on several factors. Either way, they can help taxpayers assess whether they would likely benefit from doing an itemized statement of the loss. Also, if taxpayers need to pay a preparer for advanced help, Tax Aide may be able to do an initial return, which taxpayers can amend later in the year when they have all their repair costs, and hopefully paying for the cost of the amendment will be less than paying a preparer for the entire return.