How to get free income tax return help in San Antonio and Bexar County

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — Tax season is ramping up, and volunteer tax assistance will be available for many residents who need assistance in San Antonio and Bexar County.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free help to individuals or families who earned up to a specified limit in 2022.

“We set up sites throughout the entire city where people who earn up to $55,000 a year can come get their taxes done, prepared by licensed tax professionals who are volunteering their time,” said Kevin Femmel, Communications Director for the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County. “People can come to those sites and get their taxes done completely free.”

During the regular VITA season in 2022, volunteers prepared more than 20,000 tax returns that brought in $38 million in tax refunds and $7 million in Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to low-income families and individuals. That money went back into the San Antonio economy. Plus, VITA saved these taxpayers an estimated $3.4 million in tax preparation fees. 

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) created the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program more than 40 years ago with local communities to provide free tax return preparation to low-income taxpayers, using IRS-trained community volunteers. VITA is an important tool in helping to ensure that all eligible residents can claim the EITC, Child Tax Credit, and other credits they might be eligible for.

You can get more information on the VITA program by clicking here, or by calling the United Way Helpline at 2-1-1.