Tax season is here, help is available and it will be free for some families.
State Department of Revenue Services
State Income Tax Assistance: The state Department of Revenue Service offers free assistance to complete Connecticut tax returns. Help is available by telephone or in-person at any of the field offices. You must arrive by 4 p.m. and you must bring all of the following items:
- Your completed federal income tax return
- Your social security card, and your spouse's if you are filing a joint return. To order a new or replacement social security card
- State copies of all W-2 forms and any other forms showing Connecticut tax withheld;
- Property tax payment information if you paid property tax in Connecticut on your home or motor vehicle;
- Photo Identification (driver's license, passport, or other government-issued photo id);
- NOTE: Both spouses must be present if you are filing a joint return.
DRS does not provide assistance in completing your federal return. You may be eligible for free assistance from the Internal Revenue Service ((800) 829-1040) or from one of the organizations listed below.
Those who cannot come to any of the DRS offices can still receive tax help by calling (800) 382-9463 (Connecticut callers outside the Greater Hartford calling area only), or (860) 297-5962 from anywhere Monday - Friday (8:30 am to 4:30 pm).
AARP
Local
Federal and State Tax Assistance: AARP's Tax-Aide Program offers free tax counseling and preparation services to middle-and low-income taxpayers, with special attention to people 60 and older. Find a local site on the Tax-Aide Site Locator. Many sites will e-file your federal and Connecticut returns at no cost to you.
VITA - Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program
The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs offer free tax help for taxpayers who qualify at thousands of sites across the country. Learn more here.
CAAS
Community Accounting Aid and Services, Inc. is a not-for-profit agency providing free tax advice, accounting and financial counseling to economically disadvantaged businesses, individuals and not-for-profit organizations in Connecticut. Assistance is available to:
- Individuals with a household income of $25,000 or less
- Married couples with a combined household income of $30,000 or less
- Families of three with a household income of $35,000 or less
- Families of four or more with a household income of $40,000 or less
- Not-for-profit organizations with annual revenue less than $100,000 – and presently not using the services of an accountant.
UConn Law School Tax Clinic
The Tax Clinic is a free legal clinic that gives free legal help to low-income taxpayers with tax problems--either with the Internal Revenue Service or the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services. Learn more here.
Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University accounting students will offer free income tax preparation services through the university’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Services are available to taxpayers with annual household incomes of $55,000 or less.
The sessions will be offered at the Keefe Community Center at 11 Pine St. in Hamden, from 3 to 8 p.m. every Thursday through April 9.
There will be no session on March 12, while the students are on spring break.
If you are interested in participating, you may walk in. No appointments are necessary.
Matthew Maron, assistant teaching professor of accounting and VITA program coordinator at Quinnipiac, and other professors from the School of Business will review each tax return before it is e-filed.
For each session, taxpayers must bring:
- A Social Security card or ITIN numbers for them and each person listed on the tax return
- A copy of last year's federal and state returns if available
- A valid photo ID; documentation for all income from work, Social Security or pensions, including forms W-2, 1099-R
- Education expenses and student loan payments
- Total amount paid for child care
- Daycare provider's address and tax ID number
- Bank routing and checking and savings account numbers
- A copy of mortgage 1098 form and receipt of property taxes paid
- Access CT forms 1095A (if the taxpayer has purchased medical insurance through the Marketplace Exchange).
