VITA Helps Recently-Divorced Single Mother with Important Tax Questions

Before her divorce, Anne Malloy’s taxes were pretty straight-forward and she preferred to prepare them herself. But when she and her husband divorced, things got complicated. They disagreed about who would claim the children as dependents.

Their divorce agreement allowed each parent to claim one of their two children, who are now ages 9 and 11. But Anne’s ex-husband said he would claim both. Anne was worried she would get in trouble with the IRS if she claimed one of their children as a dependent, also.

When Anne learned about the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program through her children’s daycare center, she quickly made an appointment to get answers to her questions. There, she met Larry Hayward, a long-time VITA volunteer and coordinator of VITA’s Enfield site.

When Larry learned about Anne’s situation, he put her in touch with the IRS.

“Talking to the IRS put me at ease,” said Anne. She learned that she was protected by the divorce agreement and should proceed with claiming one child as a dependent. She also learned that she was eligible to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit – worth hundreds [thousands?] of dollars – because her kids lived with her most of the time.

As a waitress, Anne earns a modest income. Her tax refund – including the Earned Income Tax Credit – helps her pay important bills throughout the year.

“Waitressing keeps some of my days free, so I can be more involved with my kids’ school,” says Anne, who is now Vice President of the PTO. “The return provides a cushion, so I can stay in my job and focus on my kids.”

Anne has relied on VITA ever since to help her prepare and file her tax returns.

“I’m grateful to Larry for helping me through a difficult situation. Having my returns prepared with VITA doesn’t take a long time and I know I’m receiving quality services,” she says. “And it’s free!”

At VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites throughout Greater Hartford and Windham Counties, IRS-certified volunteers are working one-on-one with taxpayers with incomes up to $54,000 to prepare and electronically file state and federal income tax forms at no charge.

Call 2-1-1 and press 3 and then 6 to see if you qualify for free tax preparation and make an appointment at a convenient VITA site in Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Vernon, West Hartford, Windsor Locks, and the Windham region. Or visit www.211ct.org.

VITA and MyFreeTaxes is offered by The Village for Families & Children and United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut to help working families become financially secure. Free tax preparation is one way for hard-working families to keep more money in their wallets.

Last tax season, through VITA and MyFreeTaxes, nearly 11,400 working individuals and families in central and northeastern Connecticut received $29.1 million in federal tax refunds and credits – money coming right back into our community.

For more information and a list of VITA sites, visit thevillage.org/program/vita/.