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2022 Free Tax Preparation

The Tax Aide program will provide free income tax preparation and e-filing by IRS-certified  volunteers starting on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at Walla Walla Senior Center, 720 Sprague St, Walla Walla, WA 99362. Appointments are required and can be scheduled by calling 443-499-3622 starting on January 17,2022. Callers will hear a recording asking them to leave a message with their name, phone number and a good time to return the call. A volunteer will then call back to schedule their actual appointment.  Two methods of tax preparation will be used: Same-day No Scan or Two-visit Scan.  NOTE: Anyone opting for the Two-visit scan will need to schedule 2 appointments, a week apart.

Same-Day No Scan Service (a single appointment):

Clients will fill out an intake form and complete a brief interview. Clients  will wait while their return is prepared and quality reviewed.  Clients will then review their return, sign a form accepting responsibility for the information on the return and authorize the e-filing of their return. They will leave with a printed copy of their tax return and all of their documents.

Two-Visit Scan Service (2 appointments a week apart):

Clients will fill out an intake form and complete a brief interview. Clients will wait while their tax documents are scanned and then leave the site, taking their documents with them.  The tax return will be prepared and quality reviewed and the client will return in a week to review their return, sign a form accepting responsibility for the information on the return and authorize the e-filing of their return. They will leave with a printed copy of their tax return.

People using Free Tax Aide should bring with them:

• All documents relating to income and possible deductions
• Photo identification for the taxpayer and spouse
• Social Security cards or ITIN papers for the taxpayer, spouse, and all dependents
• If possible, a copy of last year's tax return.
• A mask-which must be worn at all times while at the Senior Center

Clients who do not speak English should  be accompanied by someone who is bilingual and can assist with the interview.

Walla Walla Asset Building Coalition

Our mission is to help Walla Walla Valley residents build greater financial security for themselves and their families.

Goals

1. To increase the number of individuals and families utilizing financial institutions for their banking needs who currently have no bank accounts (unbanked) and those with limited bank accounts (under-banked).

2. To develop a financial literacy and empowerment series that will help individuals and families better understand personal finances, saving, budgeting, credit, debt and more.

3. To provide resources for no or low-cost financial coaching on topics like credit counseling, debt management, bankruptcy counseling, student loan counseling, tax preparation and more.

4. To form partnerships between the Walla Walla Asset Building Coalition and private and public organizations to reduce poverty in the Walla Walla Valley and assist individuals and families to a promising future.

For more information on the Walla Walla Asset Building Coalition, please contact Barbara Maxwell at barbaram@bmacww.org or 509-529-4980.

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Bank On Walla Walla

In Walla Walla County, 7.6% of people are unbanked, meaning without a bank account, and 17.8% of people are under-banked, meaning they have a bank account, but are relying upon high-fee credit or check-cashing services, (Data from Prosperity Now Scorecard, 2019).

To address this issue, the Walla Walla Asset Building Coalition launched Bank On Walla Walla in November 2020. Bank On Walla Walla is a program that connects people who are currently unbanked and underbanked to get safe, low-cost and convenient bank accounts. Key features of a national certified Bank On account include:

SAFE/SECURE: No overdraft, non-sufficient funds, dormancy or surprise fees.

NO SURPRISEFEES: Monthly fees of $5 or less, low opening balances of $25 or less.

CONVENIENT: Free deposits, free withdrawals, and free bill payments.

Financial institutions offering Bank On account are willing and able to work with individuals regardless of past money problems, credit reports, ID problems, or income. Our current Bank On partners include:

• Chase Bank, Secure Banking
  101W. Alder Street, Walla Walla, WA 99362, 509-527-3300

• Columbia Bank, Foundation Account  
  500W. Main Street, Walla Walla, WA  99362, 509-529-5559

• U. S. Bank, Safe Debit Account  
  22E. Alder Street, Walla Walla, WA  99362, 509-525-8000\

Why should you get banked? Read more reasons from the FDIC and #GetBanked

Download our resource flyers and learn more about bank on!
Download in English
Download in Spanish

Need information about setting up direct deposit?

Download our flyer in English

Download our flyer in Spanish

Credit Reports

Please Note: As a result of COVID-19, the three major U.S. credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – now offer consumers free weekly credit reports through December 31, 2022.

Everyone is allowed free access to their credit report from each of the three credit reporting bureaus once every 12 months via www.annualcreditreport.com. The three credit reporting bureaus are: Experian, Transunion, and Equifax.

TIP: if you have never pulled your credit report or have not done so in quite some time, we suggest that you pull all three reports at once.  The following year, stagger the requests throughout the year to keep an eye on the accuracy and completeness of the information in the reports.

Be prepared with the following information when obtaining a credit report:

• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Social Security Number
• Current and Previous address(es) for the last 5 years
• Daytime phone number
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Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a federal tax credit for low- and moderate-income working people. It encourages and rewards work as well as offsets federal payroll and income taxes. The amount of EITC depends on a recipient’s income, marital status, and number of children. For more detailed information on the EITC, check out the IRS EITC website.

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Financial Coaching Resources

Members of the BMAC staff are trained as financial coaches and are available to meet one-on-one with clients to discuss banking, budgeting, credit and debt.  Financial coaching is offered in both English and Spanish.  If you are interested in meeting with a financial coach, please send a request to: info@bmacww.org.

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Financial Education Classes

Financial Foundations is an entry level financial education course for individuals who need to learn the basics of personal finances. Questions such as “Do I need a bank account?” or “How do I build good credit?” or “Can I possibly get out of debt?” will be answered through interactive workshop sessions. The 5 topic areas covered in Financial Foundations include:  

• Banking
• Money Mindset
• Budgeting
• Credit
• Debt
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Each 1-hour class will include ‘know and do’ learning that provides participants the opportunity to translate their learning into action. Participants who complete the weekly action step will earn $20 to be deposited by BMAC into their bank account.  Classes are available in English and Spanish.

Anyone who participates in the Financial Foundation classes is eligible to meet one-on-one with a BMAC financial coach.  Financial coaching is available in English and Spanish.

To learn more about the Financial Foundations course, please contact Barbara Maxwell at barbaram@bmacww.org or 509-529-4980, ext. 360.

Membership

The membership of the Walla Walla Asset Building Coalition (WWABC) includes volunteers from city government, financial institutions, non-profit organizations, and interested residents.  The WWABC meets the first Wednesday of each month from 4-5 p.m. Coalition members are expected to attend the monthly meetings and volunteer to support group projects as interest and time allows.  

Interested in joining the Walla Walla Asset Building Coalition? Please contact Barbara Maxwell, Asset Building Program Manager at barbaram@bmacww.org.

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