Mobile, Alabama – United Way of Southwest Alabama is now scheduling appointments for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, providing free tax preparation for eligible individuals and families.

The VITA program helps individuals and families file accurate tax returns, claim all eligible credits, and avoid costly tax preparation fees. Trained volunteers complete IRS certification each year and follow strict quality review procedures to ensure returns are prepared correctly before filing. Many taxpayers qualify for valuable credits such as the Earned Income Credit and Child Tax Credit, which can make a meaningful difference for working households.

Brad Martin, VITA Program Coordinator, said every return prepared represents a family working hard to make ends meet. He shared that volunteers understand how much these refunds matter and take great care to help neighbors keep more of what they earn so they can cover essentials, reduce stress, and move forward with greater stability.

Last tax season, VITA volunteers made a significant local impact. Thirty volunteers contributed 1,830 service hours and helped file 1,360 tax returns, securing 1,325,839 dollars in total refunds. The program served 1,907 individuals, including taxpayers and dependents, helping families cover essentials such as housing, food, and education expenses.

VITA services are available to

• People who generally make 69,000 dollars or less
• Persons with disabilities
• Limited English-speaking taxpayers

VITA services are available at

• Bay Haas Building – RSVP Mobile
• Chickasaw
• Goodwill Azalea
• Goodwill Gordon Smith
• Mobile Public Library West Regional
• New Horizons West

Schedule an appointment at https://link.edgepilot.com/s/cfa2fb94/vp6ELxjdj0ePQXs_DpG7Vw?u=https://is.gd/taxschedules or call 211 at 251.219.0606. Appointment times remain limited, and United Way adds more throughout the tax season as volunteers are available to serve.

United Way of Southwest Alabama helps families keep more of what they earn by providing safe, accurate, and free tax preparation across the community.

For more information, contact Leslie Schraeder at lschraeder@uwswa.org or 251.533.7412.

About United Way of Southwest Alabama

 The United Way of Southwest Alabama serves Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile, and Washington Counties. Created in 1926 as a Community Chest, United Way’s mission is to improve the quality of life in the community. The vision of United Way is to strengthen communities by focusing on uniting and mobilizing resources in support of our impact areas: Youth Opportunities, Healthy Communities, Financial Security, and Community Resiliency. United Way has raised and invested more than $279 million into our community to help strengthen the capacity of positive community progress. Many of these issues that affect our community are addressed by the funded programs and initiatives that help more than 200,000 local people each year. For more information, visit https://link.edgepilot.com/s/cf86d8d3/J8RnWChW6k_LIM44uAubqw?u=http://www.uwswa.org/.