More than 100 volunteers are needed to prepare tax returns throughout Snohomish County for United Way of Snohomish County’s Free Tax Preparation Campaign.

United Way of Snohomish County will operate the Free Tax Preparation Campaign at five sites throughout Snohomish County from Jan. 25 to April 15, 2011. The program is designed to help low and moderate income families prepare their income tax forms, take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit, and other tax credits while avoiding fees associated with commercial preparers. At the sites, tax customers will also be able to sign up for certain public benefits and learn about opportunities they have to make the most of their tax refunds.

United Way of Snohomish County knows that when people are able to establish savings, it creates a cushion that helps them during difficult times. The Free Tax Preparation Campaign can provide families with these asset building resources.

All volunteers will receive free tax preparation training and be certified by the IRS. The tax sites will be located in Everett, Lynnwood, Marysville and Monroe. Volunteers who are multilingual and/or are able to work at the Monroe and Marysville sites are greatly needed.

In 2010, 88 volunteers dedicated 3,561 hours to United Way of Snohomish County’s Free Tax Prep Campaign. Volunteers prepared 1,657 tax returns, helped return more than $2.9 million in federal refunds back to the community, including $907,868 in Earned Income Tax Credits, and saved customers an estimated $273,405 in tax preparation fees.

For more information and to volunteer, please visit uwsc.org and click on “Volunteer.”

(Image: Tax, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from alancleaver’s photostream)