AUBURN — Volunteers began taking appointments Tuesday for free tax preparation, part of an annual Twin Cities effort to help poor and low-income residents maximize their income tax returns.

Officials from both cities and volunteers kicked off the “Take the Money; You’ve Earned It” program Monday. Volunteers will prepare state and federal income tax returns for residents from Jan. 18 through March 31.

To be eligible, residents must have worked in 2009 and earned up to $13,440 for a single person with no children. Married residents with three or more children can qualify if they earned up to $48,279.

For an appointment in Lewiston and Auburn, residents should call 513-3160.

The cities began offering the program in 2004, with a special emphasis on getting low-income residents to apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit.  That’s a federal benefit for certain low- and moderate-income workers that can reduce income taxes by up to $4,716.

Last year, volunteers prepared returns for 1,194 residents and found federal and state tax refunds of $2.2 million. Since the program started in 2004, it has returned $7.9 million in federal and state refunds to Twin Cities residents, including $2.7 million in Earned Income Tax Credits.

This year, tax preparers will be working out of Lewiston’s Multi-Purpose Center on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and Auburn Hall on Tuesdays.

Residents should bring tax forms (W-2s, 1099s, 1098s, Form 8332s, etc.), Social Security numbers for filers and co-filers, valid picture IDs, account information for direct deposit. They should also bring the name and address of their child care provider and the provider’s tax identification number if they are applying for the Child/Dependent Care. 

The program is sponsored by the cities of Lewiston and Auburn, the chamber of commerce and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. 

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