Maximizing Tax Refunds through Collaboration

Program to bring millions into our local economy

The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce is collaborating with local businesses and United Way of the Wine Country to help businesses offer an on-site (Ad-Hoc) free tax preparation day to their employees through Earn It! Keep It! Save It!

Earn It! Keep It! Save It! is a United Way led coalition of local nonprofits, public and private organizations that come together to provide free income tax assistance and financial education to low and moderate income individuals and families. Last year, 163 volunteers served more than 2,300 individuals and families in Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake County, bringing $3.4 million in refunds back to our communities and the people who need it most.

Earn It! Keep It! Save It! is a United Way led coalition of local nonprofits, public and private organizations that come together to provide free income tax assistance and financial education to low and moderate income individuals and families. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is the national IRS program that supports and funds regional groups like Earn It! Keep It! Save It! to do this work and provide the necessary tax sites. VITA was started in the 1970s to help eligible low-income taxpayers claim the Earned Income Tax Credit which provides a significant wage supplement (up to $5,891 last year) for working families who qualify. The program is made possible by a group of dedicated volunteers who complete a free intensive IRS training and certification through Earn It! Keep It! Save It! and then serve at one of the sites.

Last year, 163 volunteers served more than 2,300 individuals and families in Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake County, bringing $3.4 million in refunds back to our communities and the people who need it most. These volunteers provided nearly 4,000 hours of volunteer time which equates to a value of over $89,000. This year the coalition will have more than 43 sites in five counties (Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt and Del Norte). The tax sites ensure eligible taxpayers claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), one of the federal government's largest resources for low-income residents. The EITC reduces the amount of income tax low-to-moderate income families are required to pay, and provides a wage supplement to some families. According to the New America Foundation, thousands of Californians fail to claim EITC. Families and local economies suffer when these refunds go unclaimed.

For more information about this collaborative effort, contact Leslie Anderson at (707) 545-1414.