DC 37 is not giving away money, but the union will help members file for a program that provides cash payments or tax credits to millions of Americans.

The federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit pays up to $5,278 for taxpayers with two or more children, $3,195 for those with one child and $479 for the childless.

“A quarter of a million people here in New York City have failed to claim this money,” said Moira Dolan, assistant director of DC 37’s Research and Negotiations Department. For workers and families who meet certain requirements and file a tax return, the EITC is refundable: If your taxes are less than the credit, you get the difference in cash.

Those eligible for the EITC are working families with more than one child earning less than $34,178 annually, families with one child earning less than $30,201 annually and individuals between the ages of 24 and 65 making less than $11,060 annually.

To help DC 37 members file returns and determine if they are eligible, the union is recruiting volunteers from NYC Accountants, Actuaries, and Statisticians Local 1407, said Ms. Dolan. The Community Food and Resource Center and the Internal Revenue Service will provide special training for the volunteers.

The volunteer tax preparers will be set up in the phone bank room on the lower level at union headquarters from Jan. 27 until the tax deadline on April 15.

Volunteers will be available to assist members by appointment from 4 – 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday and some Saturdays. Members will be prescreened for eligibility. For information on making appointments, click here (PDF format)* or call the union at (212) 815-7699.

 

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