Free tax credit seminar at COD March 4

Prairie State Legal Services will present a free tax credit seminar on Monday, March 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. and again from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the College's Sudent Services Center, Room Room 2201, 425 Fawell Blvd. in Glen Ellyn.

The “Your Money, You Earned It Now Claim It!” seminar is open to students, staff and community members, and will provide information on tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit, and American Opportunity Credit. It will also cover how to get free tax preparation through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program.

The IRS estimates that one-third of the EITC-eligible population changes annually as taxpayers' financial, marital, and parental status change. The IRS also estimates that one of every five taxpayers do not claim the EITC either because taxpayers do not claim the credit on their return, or they do not file a return at all.

For this tax season, the EITC ranges from $475 for people without children to a maximum of $5,891 for taxpayers with three or more qualifying children. In 2010, more than one million taxpayers in Illinois claimed the EITC for a total of $2.26 billion. Nationwide, 26.8 million taxpayers claimed the EITC for a total of $59.5 billion.

The March 4 seminar will be presented by Andrew J. VanSingel, Director of the Low Income Tax Clinic at Prairie State Legal Services. VanSingel received his J.D., cum laude, from Touro Law Center in 2010, and is admitted to practice law in New York, Illinois, and the United States Tax Court.

Attendees will be entered in a door prize drawing for a $50 gift card. No advance registration is required. Parking is available in Fawell Lots B and C on the College's north side campus adjacent to the Student Services Center.

This program is sponsored by Prairie State Legal Services and AmeriCorps VISTA as a service to the community and does not include sales pitches or an endorsement of any company or company's products or services. Prairie State Legal Services offers free legal services for low income persons and those over 60 who have serious civil legal problems and need legal help to solve them. The Low Income Tax Clinic at Prairie State provides advice and representation to taxpayers residing its 36 county service area across northern and central Illinois.

For more information, call Prairie State 1-855-TAX-PSLS.