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Tax Day is just around the corner, but if you are like thousand of others across the country that wait until the last minute, you will be happy to know that the Macon County AARP will offer free tax assistance through April 18. That’s right. For all of us procrastinators, there are actually three extra days this year! Why not the usual April 15 deadline? Well, to make a long story short, Friday is Emancipation Day in Washington D.C., so we all get a break.
For the past 31 years, the local chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has offered a free tax assistance program in Franklin. A common misconception is that the service is only for senior citizens, said State Coordinator Jim Spicer, who was visiting the Macon program on Tuesday. In fact, though special consideration is given to the elderly, the service is offered to all low and moderate income families.
Nationwide, AARP offers assistance to 2.6 million individuals annually. More than 800 were helped in Macon County last year. This assistance is provided at no charge by volunteers who have been trained by the Internal Revenue Service to assist taxpayers with most kinds of tax preparation problems, including earned income credits, students as dependents and wage earners, child care, etc. AARP is authorized to provide free electronic filing (E-filing). E-filing offers faster refunds and more accurate returns.
Tax assistance is available through April 18 at the Macon County Community Facilities Bldg. on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (no appointment necessary), and on the same days at the Macon County Library from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. (by appointment only).
