{"id":63391,"date":"2026-03-05T15:23:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T20:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=63391"},"modified":"2026-03-05T15:23:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T20:23:51","slug":"filing-taxes-doesnt-have-to-break-the-bank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/03\/05\/filing-taxes-doesnt-have-to-break-the-bank\/","title":{"rendered":"Filing taxes doesn&#8217;t have to break the bank"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Filing taxes doesn&#8217;t have to break the bank. For 2026, the United Way of Central Florida (UWCF) has significantly expanded its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to help Polk County residents keep more of their hard-earned money.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-dominant-color=\"b6ae9d\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #b6ae9d;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"344\" height=\"146\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/download-3.webp?resize=344%2C146&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63392 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/download-3.webp?w=344&amp;ssl=1 344w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/download-3.webp?resize=300%2C127&amp;ssl=1 300w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By using these free services, taxpayers can save the <strong>$200\u2013$500<\/strong> typically charged by commercial preparers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcb0 Who Qualifies?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the programs are designed for low-to-moderate-income households, the limits are quite generous for 2026:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Full Service (In-person):<\/strong> Available for households earning less than <strong>$80,000<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Self-Preparation (Online):<\/strong> Available via <a href=\"https:\/\/myfreetaxes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MyFreeTaxes.com<\/a> for those earning under <strong>$89,000<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udccd Where to Get Help in Polk County<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UWCF operates <strong>10 sites<\/strong> across the county. Many have expanded their hours and capacity this year to meet high demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Top Filing Sites<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Location<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Type<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Contact \/ Notes<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Mulberry Community Service Center<\/strong><\/td><td>Walk-in<\/td><td>Wed (10-3), Thu (4-9)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Bartow (Asbury United Methodist)<\/strong><\/td><td>Appointment<\/td><td>(863) 533-5822<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Lakeland (Bonnet Springs Blvd)<\/strong><\/td><td>Appointment<\/td><td><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/taxprepcrc.rsvpify.com\/\">Online Booking<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Lakeland (Salvation Army)<\/strong><\/td><td>Self-Prep<\/td><td>(863) 853-2214<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Winter Haven (Women&#8217;s Resource Center)<\/strong><\/td><td>Appointment<\/td><td>(863) 875-8379<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Haines City Library<\/strong><\/td><td>Walk-in<\/td><td>Fridays (10-3)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pro Tip:<\/strong> Dial <strong>2-1-1<\/strong> from any phone in Polk County to find the nearest site and check current appointment availability.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcdd What to Bring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To ensure your return is filed accurately, you must bring:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Photo ID<\/strong> for yourself (and spouse, if filing jointly).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social Security Cards<\/strong> or ITINs for everyone on the return.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Income documents<\/strong> (W-2s, 1099s, Social Security or Retirement statements).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Proof of expenses<\/strong> (Childcare costs, business miles for 1099 workers, etc.).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bank Account Info<\/strong> (Routing and account numbers for a faster direct deposit refund).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udc75 AARP Tax-Aide Option<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to VITA, the <strong>AARP Foundation Tax-Aide<\/strong> program offers free filing with a focus on taxpayers over 50. You do <strong>not<\/strong> need to be an AARP member to use this service. You can find their specific sites (often in local libraries) using the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=https:\/\/events.aarp.org\/taxaide\">AARP Site Locator<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Filing taxes doesn&#8217;t have to break the bank. For 2026, the United Way of Central Florida (UWCF) has significantly expanded its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to help Polk&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"12","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNlwvMDNcL2Rvd25sb2FkLTMud2VicD9maXQ9MzQ0JTJDMTQ2JnNzbD0xIiwidHh0IjoiRmlsaW5nIHRheGVzIGRvZXNuJiM4MjE3O3QgaGF2ZSB0byBicmVhayB0aGUgYmFuayIsInRlbXBsYXRlIjoiaGlnaHdheSIsImZvbnQiOiIiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNjMwNDA2NjF9.lEB3qSGZornsyFZsQir06ZoEIVqq07y56Vu9zyD4qKcMQ"},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[12,14],"tags":[13937],"class_list":["post-63391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","category-news","tag-filing-taxes-doesnt-have-to-break-the-bank"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63391"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63393,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63391\/revisions\/63393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}