This tax season, families across the region are once again receiving a boost to their economic well-being thanks to a blend of federally-funded initiatives: the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, AmeriCorps and the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Every year, thousands of Greater Cincinnati community members depend on United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Free Tax Prep (FTP) program to help them file their tax returns. Over 500 volunteers helped prepare more than 9,600 tax returns for families in 2025 alone, saving them around $2.6 million on filing fees and helping them claim $10.7 million in refunds they’ve earned.
FTP is made possible by the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which allows partners like United Way to offer free tax preparation services to millions of families across the country. FTP serves local households making less than $84,000 annually at 36 sites across the region with the help of more than 500 volunteers, including a team of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corp members.
Our AmeriCorps team and other volunteers are trained to ensure families receive all the tax credits they’re eligible for, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the nation’s largest need-tested, anti-poverty program that provides cash benefits. Those benefits are only accessible by filing a tax return, but the IRS reports 20% of eligible Americans leave this money on the table each year. In 2025, filers who worked with United Way of Greater Cincinnati to claim their EITC received an average of $1,863.
As Congress continues to consider ways to make taxes work better for American families, it is critical they understand the importance of these three policy-driven resources. Will you take a moment to tell your federal legislators why access to family-supportive income tax resources are important to you?
Thank you for lending your voice so all members of our community have the opportunity to thrive.
