So much has shifted in the last weeks. The federal tax deadline has been postponed to July 15th, 2020 and VITA sites have been forced to close out of caution for their volunteers, coordinators, and clients. As the VITA community retools to meet this moment for its existing clients, stimulus checks have been authorized and will be administered by the IRS, adding another challenge for VITA and its partners as the process requires some vulnerable communities to submit tax filings for the first time. The process also leaves out other groups entirely — for instance, immigrant families who file taxes with an ITIN as well as some dependents. This crisis, like recessions past, also brings with it an increase in predatory lending and practices. We are keeping an eye on access, outreach, and predatory threats, and welcome your thoughts and insights.
Visit our new COVID-19 Pandemic Resources and Responses page for a list of rapidly developing resources and updates on taxpayer access, outreach, and predatory threats.