02.02.2022

America Saves Tax Time Toolkit

This time of year, supporting our Savers on their financial wellness journey means ensuring they have the guidance and support necessary during tax season.

This time of year, supporting our Savers on their financial wellness journey means ensuring they have the guidance and support necessary this time of year. With changes in employment status, family size, moving, and other big life changes – questions are always a normal part of the process. That’s why we want to make sure our Savers have the information they need to navigate their tax time experience confidently and smoothly.

From preparing to file and accessing tax prep help, to understanding the best ways to put those refund dollars to work, this Partner Resource Packet is filled with resources, tools, and guidance to help our Savers make the most of this tax season!


We encourage you to share the following social media content, blog posts, resources, and videos with your customers, members, constituents, and audience.

Social Media Posts

Please share these social media posts with your Savers on appropriate channels or in your communications and newsletters. This content works for your community, employees, audience, constituents, customers, students, and members.

DOWNLOAD GRAPHICS HERE

POST A

With #taxtime right around the corner, it’s important to be aware of how to protect yourself from potential fraud. To learn more, visit the IRS Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft here https://bit.ly/3GaLf6o

POST B

Did you know that VITA sites offer free tax prep help to qualifying taxpayers? To learn more and find out if you qualify, visit https://bit.ly/3qUL492

POST C

Have you already taken the America Saves Pledge? If not, tax time is the perfect time! Set a goal, make a plan, and put those tax refund dollars to work for you! Take the pledge here https://bit.ly/3q6T7jW

POST D

You might know that a great way to save during tax time is by splitting your refund and saving automatically. But did you also know that the IRS has an online resource to help you understand how to make this happen? Well, they do! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/32VZHkc

Resources:

7 Steps to Jumpstart Your Savings Journey With an incoming tax refund on the horizon, it’s a great time to make a plan to put that money to work! Whether it’s building an emergency savings fund or creating a debt reduction plan, the 7 Steps to Jumpstart Your Savings Journey resource is an excellent guide to use as you encourage your community to embrace financial wellness this tax season.

 

The 7 Steps to Jumpstart Your Savings guide can be found in our Resource Center.

 

 

Blog Posts:


For many Americans, the best time to jumpstart their savings goals is when they receive a type of windfall, like a tax refund. At America Saves, we believe that an informed saver is an empowered saver, and empowered savers make the best possible financial decisions for their families. In our commitment to both informing and empowering our Savers, we wanted to share this simple strategy that we call the 30-40-30 plan.

https://bit.ly/3Gzju77

Partner Organization Resources & Highlights:

Free Tax Help with IRS VITA For over fifty years IRS, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites have offered free tax prep help to qualifying individuals across the country. VITA help can commonly be found at a variety of community locations, such as churches, libraries, schools, and more. These sites are an excellent resource for your community members because, in addition to being free, they are run by capable volunteers who are IRS-Certified.

What To Know About VITA

  • VITA sites are available for free to qualifying individuals, including those who make $57,000 or less annually, limited English-speaking tax payers, and people with disabilities.
  • When visiting a VITA site, preparation is key! The IRS offers a helpful What to Bring resource that highlights the necessary documents to help prepare taxpayers for their visit.
  • VITA sites can vary in the services they offer from community to community, so it’s important to ensure that the site chosen by a taxpayer is an appropriate fit for their needs.

To learn more about VITA and to locate a site in your area, visit the IRS website.

 

CFPB Tips for Using Your Tax Refund to Build Your Savings! Check out this helpful guide from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filled with lots of tips and insight focused on helping you and your community learn how to maximize your tax refund by putting it to work to grow your savings.

 

Tax Time Guidance for Gig Workers Many employees took on new and alterative approaches to work this year in the face of an ongoing global health crisis. For those who are new to gig work, the IRS has created a helpful resource to make tax prep easier! This resource provides guidance on record keeping, paying estimated taxes, preparing to file, and filing your tax return. Be sure to share this resource with your community so every worker is prepared to file!

Videos:

Watch and share these videos from America Saves that highlight helpful tax time tips and guidance!

Words of Advice – Use VITA

This short, helpful video clip highlights a valuable moment from our tax-focused #ThinkLikeASaver Town Hall. This video is a great resource for those who are looking for guidance on whether they should seek out help with preparing their taxes! Let panelist Cara Williams, Finance Director at Reinvestment Partners, explain the importance and benefit of accessing a local VITA site.

You can watch the video clip here.

#ThinkLikeASaver Town Hall – Save for the Unexpected with your Tax Refund

What better time than tax time to revisit our tax-focused #ThinkLikeASaverTownHall? Our Save for the Unexpected with your Tax Refund Town Hall was a virtual event that brought together the America Saves team with industry experts to focus on and highlight the ways that you and your community can take advantage of a tax time windfall to build your savings, increase your financial confidence and build financial resiliency!

You can watch the replay of the #ThinkLikeASaver Save for the Unexpected with your Tax Refund here!

Events: