During the 2009 tax season NAYA Family Center is expanding our Free Tax Assistance Site in the Annex!  Volunteer tax preparers are needed to help the Native American community get the most out of their Federal and State Tax Returns, including Earned Income Tax Credits! We work with CASH Oregon to help get Volunteers trained and certified by the IRS in order to help our community.

Last tax season, our site filed 183 tax returns, with $157,315.00 in refunds,    $10, 684 in Oregon State refunds, and $61,470 of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). For some Oregon families, the EITC is their biggest income boost of the year and you can help make a real difference in the lives of many Native families in the Portland metropolitan area!

The EITC is one of the most effective anti-poverty programs in the US, but millions in EITC and other valuable tax credits go unclaimed every year because  low income individuals are not legally required to file their taxes, most choose not to file at all. However, to receive EITC or other tax credits a person must file their taxes and our community needs to start collecting these dollars.

What are the benefits?

·        Gain experience as a Certified Tax Preparer

·        Learn how to Prepare and File taxes—train with a group or online

·        Meet new friends and network for your career

·        Help low-income families and stimulate our local economy

·        Receive Continuing Education Credits

·        Practice your Spanish speaking skills for bilingual speakers (note: not required to speak Spanish)

·        Group volunteering is welcome, gather your co-workers together

How do you get trained?

·        There are two options for training:

1.      40 hours of in-class group training, beginning in November

o       5 consecutive Saturdays or 5 days in a row.

2.      Individual and self paced online training using the IRS software- Link and Learn (preferable)

·        CASH Oregon will supply you with a packet of materials, workbook and the open book test.

·        Training includes sessions on tax preparation software ‘TaxWise,’ Oregon tax law, and administrative policies.

·        After your training, you will be IRS certified.  

What is the time Commitment?

 ·        We are asking for at least 4 hours per week from Feb. 2^nd-April 15^th 2009

Who is the contact person?

Deanne Goforth at deanneg@nayapdx.org, 503-288-8177 ext. 214

Native American Youth and Family Center

5135 NE Columbia Boulevard

Portland, OR 97218