In this episode of Community Spotlight, host Leah Haslage sat down with Kathy Matthews, Senior Program Director for Enterprise Community Partners, and John Mahoney, from the City of Cleveland’s Office of Fair Housing and Consumer Affairs to discuss earned income tax credit.
The earned income tax credit, also known as EITC, is a federal tax credit for low to moderate income tax payers or low wage earners.
In order to be eligible for the earned income tax credit, you must fall under the following categories:
- Between the ages of 25 and 64.
- Your income is from working for or running a local business.
- You have filed your tax return.
If you do, then congratulations! You are eligible to receive the earned income tax credit. But how does one go about filing for their credit? That’s where the Enterprise Community Partners and United Way of Greater Cleveland come in.
Through their partners and volunteers, the Cuyahoga EITC Coalition offers consultation and tax preparation, all at no cost! In the past, EITC Volunteers have processed 14 thousand returns, which resulted in 18 million dollars worth of tax returns.
You can get in touch with the Cuyahoga EITC Coalition a number of ways, through their website at https://refundohio.org, through Twitter at @CuyahogaEITC, through Facebook at @CuyahogaEITCCoalition, and finally through Instagram at @Cuyahoga_EITC.
Additionally, you can find information regarding tax preparation through the City of Cleveland’s Office of Fair Housing and Consumer Affairs, which can be reached at 216-664-4529 or at City.Cleveland.Oh.Us
Alternatively, you can call the United Way of Greater Cleveland at 2-1-1 to be connected with a representative who will assist you in your free tax preparation and/or financial coaching.
If you are unsure if you’re EITC eligible, you can visit https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit
