By LINDA CHION KENNEY

United Way Suncoast, in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service, is making a major effort to help more people receive free tax assistance under a program designed to ease the burden on taxpayers living paycheck to paycheck, especially during a period of post-pandemic inflation.

It is about the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), in which around 48 locations in the five-county United Way Suncoast catchment area participated last year: Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto.

“Any household earning $79,000 or less can have their tax return prepared for free,” said Ernest Hooper, spokesman for United Way Suncoast. “Our volunteers are trained by United Way and not all, but many, are former accountants or have an accounting background.”

A VITA volunteer works with a site coordinator and wears a T-shirt that reads “Tax Prep Superhero.”

United Way Suncoast VITA volunteers consider themselves “tax preparation superheroes.”

With nearly 400 volunteers last year, down from pre-COVID levels, the goal is to increase that number to at least 500 volunteers, said Margarita Sorah, a senior United Way manager focused on financial stability. New locations in southern Hillsborough County also need to be explored due to rapid population growth in the area.

VITA handles tax issues from simple to complex, including long-overdue tax returns. Some locations are open year-round. All locations are open from late January through April 15, the federal tax filing deadline.

Volunteers are needed for site coordinators, tax preparers and receptionists, with a focus this fall on site coordinators, who will be trained in October and November. “Typically, the site coordinator has experience in tax preparation and helps answer questions from volunteers,” Hooper said. “Often it is retirees and seniors who fill this role for us.”

United Way Suncoast volunteer works with a VITA site coordinator.

Sorah said site coordinators work with volunteer tax advisors to ensure compliance with policies and procedures. The ideal candidate is “proficient in volunteer management and very organized,” she added, and the VITA program offers training and certification in tax law.

Volunteer tax advisors are also being trained and instructed on tax law. The aim is to “ensure that everything is done correctly and that tax returns are submitted and checked within a reasonable time,” said Sorah.

The results of the United Way Suncoast VITA program speak for themselves, Hooper said. “We’ve helped return between $10 million and $13 million annually to the community in the form of tax refunds, earned income tax credits, child tax credits and the money people save by not having to file taxes,” Hooper said.

The focus on financial stability is especially necessary for the so-called ALICE group, an acronym for “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.” According to United for Alice, a grassroots movement led by United Way of Northern New Jersey that has spread across the country, members of the ALICE group earn just above the federal poverty line, cannot afford the basic costs of living in their district and often do not qualify for welfare.

According to United Way Suncoast officials, ALICE makes up 33 percent of the region, with another 13 percent of households below the federal poverty line.

“We use the term ALICE because we want to speak respectfully about this population,” Hooper said. “These are people who have jobs, who work hard, but still struggle to make ends meet. We’re not talking about annual passes to Disney. We’re not talking about a meal at Bern’s Steak House in Tampa. We’re talking about paying basic daily, weekly and monthly bills.”

According to the latest ALICE data, a family of four with a toddler and an infant living in Hillsborough County needs to earn $90,216 to make ends meet. A single adult needs $35,688; a couple needs $51,060. In 2022, household costs in every county in Florida were well above the federal poverty line of $13,590 for a single adult and $27,750 for a family of four.

“Inflation and housing costs, including rent and insurance, all of these factors create challenges and are another reason why we place so much emphasis on our VITA program,” Hooper said. “We want to move from financial stability to economic viability so people can stay afloat, move up and create the life they envision.”

United Way Suncost Photos
United Way Suncoast Income Tax Assistance volunteers work with a number of community members to provide free tax preparation.

Prior to joining United Way Suncoast, Sorah said she worked at a taxpayer assistance center that provided pro bono assistance to low- to moderate-income people facing tax issues such as late filings and audits.

“Helping people in need is something that is very close to my heart,” says Sorah. “Using my communication skills to make a difference is deeply ingrained in me.”

Sorah said she hopes likeminded volunteers will step forward to give back in much-needed and meaningful ways, and that the people who most need VITA’s services will take advantage of the free tax filing service.

“For those who don’t know they can get free services in something like this, this is a really good opportunity,” Sorah said.
For more information about ALICE, VITA and other United Way Suncoast services and volunteer opportunities, visit www.unitedwaysuncoast.org/ or call 813-274-0900.