“A person doesn’t know how much he has to be thankful for until he has to pay taxes on it.”
Tax time: That glorious and terrifying time of the year when you either have to put on your big kid accounting britches or pay someone else to have the honor of deciphering a year’s worth of your tax documentation.
When I was 16, my mother sat me down at the kitchen table and taught me how to file my taxes on paper. That year, I received a whopping $85 refund that I went out and blew on a Barnes & Noble shopping spree. When I was 17, I was audited and didn’t get my refund for over a year (after my mom repeatedly called the IRS and yelled at them for auditing a minor).
After that, I stopped trusting myself to file my taxes and started hiring professionals. Could I figure out how to accurately file on my own? Absolutely. Do I want to? Absolutely not.
For those who struggle to file their own taxes and don’t have the means to pay a tax professional to work their magic, there is a third option which is getting your taxes done for free at the library. AARP provides in-person tax assistance to senior citizens and low-income residents free of charge. Each branch of the Johnson County Public Library has AARP Tax-Aide volunteers come to their location one day a week all tax season from February through April.
The volunteers are trained and IRS-certified every year, and they know and understand the latest changes and additions to the tax code. They have been coming to JCPL for over a decade and have helped thousands of residents file their taxes for free. Assistance is provided by appointment only, and space is limited, so please call your branch for more information.
Although library staff cannot advise patrons concerning tax forms or assist with online tax preparation, JCPL can connect patrons to useful resources:
Paper tax forms: You may take one printed copy of tax forms provided by the Internal Revenue Service and Indiana Department of Revenue; additional copies can be made for 10 cents/page. However, be advised that the IRS no longer provides instruction booklets or many other forms to libraries.
Online form printing: You may request help printing other tax forms for 10 cents/page. Please be prepared to provide the name or number of the forms you need.
Internet access for online tax preparation: The library’s public computers can be used to access online tax preparation sites and e-filing options through the IRS and the Indiana Department of Revenue.
Books and reference material: The library collection includes many titles on tax preparation. Check the online catalog or ask a reference librarian to find and reserve these titles. You can learn more about filing your taxes at PageAfterPage.org/taxes.
Erin Cataldi is an Adult & Teen Services Librarian at Clark Pleasant Branch Library. JCPL staff members share in writing this twice-monthly column for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
