VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE
Free Tax Preparation for Low-Income Taxpayers
Through QCAP’s FREE Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, volunteers provide basic income tax preparation for low-income individuals and families.
QCAP’s Tax Office will prepare taxes on Thursdays and Saturdays beginning Thursday, January 23, 2020 and ending Saturday, April 11, 2020. Office hours on Thursdays will be from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM and on Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Services are offered by APPOINTMENT ONLY with very limited availability for walk-ins. The Tax Office is located on the second floor of QCAP (no longer the fourth floor) at 1509 Hancock Street in Quincy. You may directly book your free tax appointment at https://freetaxhelp.us/-/qcap. You may also call 617-657-5345 between 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM Monday through Friday to book your appointment or if you need ADA accommodations. Please continue reading for more important information.
VITA Eligibility:
- To qualify for free tax preparation, your 2019 household income must be $56,000 or less, or you must have qualified for QCAP fuel assistance this season. The income limit is per return, so couples filing joint returns must have a combined income of $56,000 or less.
- You must be a full-time resident of Massachusetts.
In order to be seen, please have on hand:
- Unexpired government-issued photo ID
- Social Security card or document from Social Security Administration or IRS showing Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number for you, spouse, and ALL dependents
- Proof of health insurance (1095 A/B/C, 1099 HC) if available
- A blank check if you want direct deposit
- Copies of 2018 income tax return
- All W-2 and 1099 forms
- Childcare expenses if applicable
- College expenses if applicable
- All 1098 forms including: mortgage interest, real estate taxes paid, student loan interest, and college tuition
- If itemizing, please bring: medical receipts, charitable contributions and excise tax bills. If you were 65 or older in 2019, bring water/sewer and property tax bills.
- If filing taxes on a married filing jointly return, both spouses must be present
Benefits of using VITA:
- QCAP can help you save on expensive tax preparation fees
- QCAP offers tax preparation services during convenient evening and weekend hours
- QCAP provides tax preparation services in many languages. QCAP has VITA volunteers who speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and other languages.
- Last year QCAP helped 771 households file taxes, returning $1.48 million in tax refunds back to the community
QCAP is not able to prepare the following tax returns:
- Tax returns for other states
- Tax years prior to 2019
- Active military personnel
- Landlords, rental property, investment property
- International students (students on VISA)
- Business owners
- Schedule K-1 income
- Some short sales, foreclosure, or loan modifications
