Some of us look forward to tax return time because we get to treat ourselves to that big screen TV we think we can't live without, pay off our credit cards after an excessive holiday shopping spree, or take a much needed vacation to an exotic place. For low-income residents, tax returns are often used to catch up on rent payments, get the phone turned back on or purchase winter clothing for their children.

Tax time can be a confusing and frustrating experience. For years, the Macomb County Community Services Agency has offered free tax preparation services to low-income residents. Specially trained staff work on a one-on-one basis with residents to pour over the necessary documentation and fill out the forms. After the forms are mailed, the taxpayer can wait anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks for their refund. In 2003, a total of 168 households took advantage of this service.

In 2004, Macomb County Community Services Agency (MCCSA) piloted a program in collaboration with the Internal Revenue Service. Now instead of paper and pencil, new software really helped to speed up the process and to file electronically on behalf of the client. In turn, refund checks were sent in a much more timely fashion. Because the process was less tedious and MCCSA really wanted to serve more people, they extended appointment hours and worked extremely hard to promote the service. As a result, 709 households were served in 2005, an increase of more than 300%!

Working with a trained expert also meant that other tax programs were accessed including the earned income credit, home heating and homestead credits. Overall, MCCSA helped to return more than $930,000 to taxpayers. You can bet that that made a big difference in those households!

For more information, click Macomb County Community Services Agency (MCCSA)