VITA Program Helps Over 1,400 Households, Bringing in $2.2 Million in Tax Refunds

Over 1,400 households were helped by the United Ways of Chautauqua County‘s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program this year, receiving over $2.2 million dollars in refunds.

Taxpayers either visited a traditional VITA preparation site, opted for virtual preparation, or completed their tax returns using MyFreeTaxes.com.

For the first time this year, United Way of Northern Chautauqua County and United Way of Southern Chautauqua County shared a VITA Program Administrator, who provided support and coordination to 58 volunteers. These volunteers prepared taxes, assisted with intake information, and provided site coordination—logging more than 3,500 hours of service to the community.

In addition, United Way collaborated with the Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union, who shared 6 volunteers with the VITA program, providing translation services and tax return preparation. The Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union program prepared more than 780 tax returns.