April 15 is tax filing day deadline

The deadline to file for tax return is this Wednesday and even those who have to pay back to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must file by the April 15 deadline. The IRS indicates that taxpayers who don’t file on time may have to pay a penalty.

“If they willfully failed to file a return, they may also be subject to additional fines and possible criminal prosecution,” indicates the IRS website.

In order to avoid issues, entities such as Free Tax Prep LA offer people who make less than $69,000 annually the opportunity to file their tax return for free. 

Claudia Alaix, campaign outreach specialist with Free Tax Prep LA, said people should take advantage of these free services not only to save some money doing the paperwork, but also because the income tax experts can help people get refunds they are unaware of. This includes certain state and federal taxes credits.

“We know that in L.A., out of five people, only one will file and claim those eligible returns that they have available. So that means that there is a lot of money that's been left on the table,” she said. 

The credits include the federal Earned Income Tax Credit  (EITC) that can be up to $8,000, the young child tax credit, which is about $1,189 and state or Cal EITC could be up to $3,756.

People without a Social Security Number

While it is required for taxpayers to file their return, this year some rules have changed in order to receive the federal EITC

“Before it was enough that only the child had a Social Security number. Now it is required that either mom or dad that is claiming this kid has a Social Security number,” she said. 

This change will impact mainly families with mixed status.

“Either mom or dad have to have a Social Security number and if they don't, they cannot claim that [Federal] credit,” she said.

However,  mixed status families can still file their forms and receive the credits at state level.

This is another reason why community based organizations are more reliable than private tax preparers.

“They're going to receive their service in their own language. There's going to be someone that is going to sit with them and go through the taxes with them and make them feel safe, and that is a service they can trust,” she said.

For those who cannot file before the deadline, they can request an extension and will have until October 15 to do their taxes. 

“If they don't owe money, that's okay, because they will have more time to file without problem. But if they owe, they will still have to pay as soon as possible,” Alaix said.

To learn about the closest Free Tax Prep LA location call 1-800-906-9887 or visit https://www.freetaxprepla.com/