Janice's Success Story

Janice was raising two teenage sons and her 2-year-old granddaughter when she lost her job. Bills began to pile up and eventually Janice lost her home to foreclosure. In a state of depression, Janice turned to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, where she was referred to Goodwill. After taking some training classes, Janice was hired as a seamstress in Goodwill’s Contract Services Division. Janice smiles when she talks about being able to provide for her sons and granddaughter. “I’m making my own money and feeling better about the future for my kids. We don’t have everything yet, but we’re getting there.”

NEWS

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day – Friday, January 30

1/30/2009

Workforce Development Center - Winston-Salem - Forsyth County

Winston-Salem NC

Winston-Salem, NC – Goodwill Industries International is supporting an effort to save low-income workers money. Through a partnership with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Goodwill is providing Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites nationwide in order to provide free tax preparation to low-income workers and individuals with disabilities, among others. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) provides tax breaks to working people who earn low or moderate incomes, whether single or married, and it provides as much as $4,824 in refunds for some families. January 30 marks EITC Awareness Day, a nationwide effort to increase public awareness about EITC and free tax preparation sites.

In Forsyth County, Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina is offering two VITA sites in partnership with Experiment in Self-Reliance (ESR) and a number of other community agencies that make up the Working Families Partnership:

Location:
Goodwill Industries JobLink Center
2701 University Parkway, Winston-Salem NC 27105

Dates: Wednesdays & Thursdays, January 28 – April 15

Time: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Location:
Career Connections and Prosperity Center
585 Waughtown Street, Winston-Salem NC 27107

Dates: Fridays, January 30 – April 15

Time: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“The EITC is a valuable tax break that has assisted millions of working families,” said Sherry Carpenter, VP of Workforce Development Services. “We need to make certain that working families get back every dollar for which they are eligible to help cover transportation, food, housing and other expenses.”

The IRS estimates that 20 to 25 percent of eligible taxpayers fail to claim the credit, which could put as much as $4,824 into the pockets of a family with two children, or send as much as $2,917 to a family with one child, or up to $438 for a worker with no children. The EITC is the federal government’s largest program benefiting lower earning workers.

In 2007, 23.1 million families received $44.6 billion through the EITC. In addition, families were able to file for an EITC as far back as three years ago if they had not filed in the past. Some individuals and families may qualify for the credit for the first time because of unemployment or other changes in their financial, marital or parental status during the past year.

For more information about the EITC Campaign contact the ESR at (336) 722-9400 ext. 458 or visit www.forsythfreetax.org.

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