Deadline Approaching for IRS Grants

By BEA KARNES (Patch Staff)

It’s been just over a month since this year’s tax filing deadline, but it’s already time to think about next year’s taxes if you help the elderly or poor file their returns. The deadline to apply for grants to fund program is June 1.

The programs are Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA).

Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov. Previous grant recipients may apply for up to three years of annual funding, which reduces the amount of paperwork that must be completed annually and helps recipients with budget planning.

Applicants can find TCE and VITA application packages on Grants.gov. Electronic versions of the grant application package instructions, Publication 1101 for TCE and Publication 4671 for VITA, can be found on IRS.gov.

The TCE program was established in 1978 to provide tax counseling and return preparation to persons who are 60 or older. Volunteers who provide free federal income tax help to seniors nationwide receive free training and technical assistance.

The VITA program, created in 1969, provides free federal income tax filing assistance to underserved communities. Congress first appropriated funds in 2007 to establish a matching grant program specifically for community volunteer income tax assistance and continues to fund this grant through its annual IRS appropriation.

The grant program helps extend VITA services to underserved populations in hard-to-reach urban and non-urban areas. It increases the ability of taxpayers to electronically file returns, and enhances volunteer training to improve the accuracy rate of returns prepared at VITA sites.