Be cautious during tax season. Scammers are everywhere. United Way does not prepare tax returns over the phone. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a United Way tax preparer offering to do your tax return over the phone, please hang up and call us to schedule an appointment.
On average, American families spend more than $275 per year on tax preparation and filing fees. Why pay for tax prep when we can help you prepare and file your tax returns for free?
With United Way’s Free Tax Prep, what you save in fees could mean the difference between repairing a car, keeping up with your rent or mortgage, or making a tuition payment.
Save hundreds of dollars in fees by connecting to the service that meets your needs:
Save time by self-filing for free online at MyFreeTaxes.com. Unlike other “free” filing tools, you can file your entire return — including your state return — at no cost.
Our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites provide free federal and state tax preparation by experienced IRS-certified volunteers.
Low- to moderate-income taxpayers, including those with disabilities and limited English-language abilities, are eligible for our free tax preparation and filing services. Our volunteer preparers are able to prepare most individual tax returns.
You can usually get help if you live in the Greater Cincinnati area and your household earns less than $84,000 annually. We are unable to prepare more complex returns with situations like self-employment losses, cryptocurrency or rental income.
If you have questions about your eligibility, please call 211 or 513-721-7900, and select the option for “Free Tax Prep.”
Appointments for the 2026 tax season will be available to the general public on Jan. 12, 2026.
Each tax year you may be required to bring new forms or information. Be sure to check our What to Bring checklist for the most current list of items.
To understand how federal returns are processed, visit the NTA Blog: Lifecycle of a Tax Return – Taxpayer Advocate Service on IRS.gov.
Taxpayers can continue to check the status of their refund using the IRS’s “Where’s My Refund?” tool.
For those in Greater Cincinnati seeking information about their state return, you can visit the following state agencies:
For more information about Free Tax Prep or if you have any questions, email us at [email protected] or call us at 211 or 513-721-7900, and select the option for Free Tax Prep.
To become a Free Tax Prep partner organization or volunteer, visit uwgc.org/tax-volunteer.
Free Tax Prep services are delivered through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program with the primary objective to serve low- and moderate-income families. A full list of returns eligible to be prepared by Free Tax Prep volunteers is available for download: IRS Publication 3676-A.pdf.
I understand that I need to bring the above items for volunteers to prepare my tax return, and that I will not have my taxes prepared if one or more of the above items are missing.
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