Each year many people with disabilities miss the opportunity to collect their Earned Income Tax Credit because they don’t file a federal income tax return or they fail to apply for appropriate tax credits. Credit-Able, the Georgia alternative financing program (AFP), is administered by the Center for Financial Independence & Innovation, Inc. (CFII) which also runs an IRS sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. Together these programs are helping eligible Georgians with disabilities file their tax returns and better afford assistive technology.
AFP’s provide affordable loans for people with disabilities to purchase assistive technology. Credit-Able helps ensure credit applicants who need income tax filing assistance are receiving that assistance through VITA and maximizing the tax credits available to them. Nationwide, VITA Program sites offer this assistance, often with electronic filing (which means fast refunds if direct deposit is an option). For the AFP, this is a win-win partnership. Loan applicants who access tax credits may come away with smaller, more affordable loans for their AT needs, or pay down debt to qualify for a loan, or even forgo the need for a loan altogether. In turn, the AFP can maximize its own program resources to help more applicants.
VITA program services are provided during tax season by certified volunteers. The Center for Financial Independence & Innovation, Inc. administers its own VITA Program, providing its volunteers with disability sensitivity information as well as the tax preparation training provided by the IRS.
To find your local existing VITA Program call: 1-800-829-1040
AFP’s provide affordable loans for people with disabilities to purchase assistive technology. Credit-Able helps ensure credit applicants who need income tax filing assistance are receiving that assistance through VITA and maximizing the tax credits available to them. Nationwide, VITA Program sites offer this assistance, often with electronic filing (which means fast refunds if direct deposit is an option). For the AFP, this is a win-win partnership. Loan applicants who access tax credits may come away with smaller, more affordable loans for their AT needs, or pay down debt to qualify for a loan, or even forgo the need for a loan altogether. In turn, the AFP can maximize its own program resources to help more applicants.
VITA program services are provided during tax season by certified volunteers. The Center for Financial Independence & Innovation, Inc. administers its own VITA Program, providing its volunteers with disability sensitivity information as well as the tax preparation training provided by the IRS.
To find your local existing VITA Program call: 1-800-829-1040
To learn more about starting your own VITA Program for people with disabilities in your state contact:
Richard Keeling
Senior Tax Analyst-National Partnerships
SPEC Headquarters, IRS
(404) 338-8814
richard.keeling@irs.gov
Learn more about VITA programs at this IRS.gov web page.
Learn more about Georgia’s Center for Financial Independence & Innovation.