LYNN — LEO Inc.’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program kicked off this week, offering tax preparation services to households making less than $56,000 a year.
“The tax laws change every single year,” said Lilian Romero, chief program officer at LEO (Leading through Empowering Opportunities). “So it’s good to have someone with a little more experience to guide you through the process.”
“(The program) is more necessary this year, more than any other year, as a result of COVID-19,” she added. “A lot of people have lost their jobs and they can’t afford to pay someone to get their taxes done.”
This is the third year of the VITA program. In the first year, the program surpassed expectations, assisting more than 100 families, far outperforming the goal set for LEO by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Last year, the organization helped 157 families, though it had been scheduled to see more than 400. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically reduced the amount of meetings LEO was able to perform, Romero explained.
This year, Romero is anticipating that VITA will be able to help more than 400 families.
LEO will be offering tax help in multiple languages, and plans to use a dial-up service if a volunteer cannot speak the language of the person they are assisting.
“Language is not a barrier for clients that come through LEO,” said Romero.
The program began Wednesday, and several individuals have already dropped off their documents, Romero said.
The VITA program is funded through the state and by several local banks, including Metro Credit Union, Community Credit Union, East Boston Savings Bank, and St. Jeans Credit Union Charitable Foundation.
“Without their support I don’t believe that we could do the work that we do,” said Romero, adding that LEO is still accepting new donors.
The program is staffed by volunteers, who are trained by others with more experience.
“If you can do a couple of returns a week, that’s better than we could do before,” said Romero.
She said the program had generated significant refunds for its clients, in the form of various tax credits.
“All those refunds that come back are money that our clients then use in the community,” she said. “That’s why programs like LEO are so important. All those resources come back to the city.”
The LEO website details two ways to get started with the service, either online at https://www.getyourrefund.org/leo, or in person on the first floor of 156 Broad St.
Once a person has completed the required forms online, LEO will be alerted and contact them for an intake meeting over the phone.
For those who use the drop-off site, the website states that there will be a table on the first floor with three documents: the IRS intake form, a release form, and an IRS specific envelope for all of their materials.
LEO specifies that it cannot accept any original documents and that people must provide copies of their forms. A copy machine is in its lobby, free for tax purposes.
No matter how people file, all tax assistance meetings will happen remotely over the phone due to COVID restrictions.
Guthrie Scrimgeour can be reached at [email protected].
