211 San Diego Receives State Funding For Tax Credit Outreach

SAN DIEGO — 211 San Diego announced Tuesday that it received $376,000 in funding from the state's Department of Community Services and Development to expand outreach and education efforts regarding federal and state earned income tax credits.

The credit serves as a tax break for residents and working families throughout the state. With an expansion of funding in Gov. Gavin Newsom's state budget, state residents making $30,000 or less will be eligible for the state's EITC during the 2020 tax season. About 1.7 million families will be eligible, according to 211 San Diego, which operates a hotline and online database.

"We're proud to be working to help educate our local community on the benefits of the program," 211 San Diego Executive Vice President William York said. "It is our mission as a leading connector, educator and facilitator to provide direct access to important services and programs such as the Cal EITC."

Locally, residents can receive tax preparation assistance from the San Diego Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition, which includes United Way of San Diego County, 211 San Diego and the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. The coalition announced last week that it helped more than 33,000 households during this year's tax season.

Information on 211 San Diego's financial and tax assistance can be found at 211sandiego.org/resources/basic-needs. Residents can also dial 211 to contact the information hub about community, health and disaster services. The hotline is available 24 hours per day in more than 200 languages.

– City News Service