TAFT, Calif. (KERO) — The deadline to file your taxes is sneaking up. People have until April 18th. But as we know this process can get complicated.
That’s why the United Way of Kern hosted an outreach event in Taft for local residents to get help with taxes at the La Preciosa Market.
“We want to give back as much as we can,” said Gabriel Adame, the marketing manager for the United Way of Kern County.
“There’s a lot of farm and low income working communities and families here so, we did our best to collaborate with the store owner and the other agencies to come out and make a fun event so they're not as scared when it comes to filing their taxes," added financial stability initiatives manager Annelisa Perez.
Through the United Way of Kern’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or VITA program, people could bring their paperwork and have someone with the team here help prepare their taxes ahead of the deadline on April 18th.
Perez says there are some things to look out for while filing your taxes.
“This year there has been a lot of high rates of identity theft so just making sure you are being careful with who sees your social.”
She also recommends making sure you have all your paperwork sorted ahead of time.
“That you have all your W2’s from all your employers if you had multiple jobs throughout the year. Making sure that you are aware if you received your stimulus payment and your child tax credit payments. As long as you have all of that in order, your process should be quite smoothly.”
And while preparing your taxes can be tedious, the group paired the event with free tacos and offered resources to help stay healthy.
“We’re handing our books in English and Spanish," said Adame. "We’re handing out masks and COVID home tests.”
Adame says people lined up bright and early, and they were pleased with the turnout.
“We’re so excited to know that our outreach got to the Taft community, and you know, it’s really getting the word out."
