Free tax prep for families and seniors

People who complain about taxes can be divided into two classes: men and women.

Of course, this excludes President Donald Trump, who boasted he paid no federal income taxes for years after taking deductions for business losses. Paying no taxes “makes me smart,” he said in a September debate.

Unfortunately, the majority of us working stiffs are forced to fork over wads of cash to Uncle Sam on Tax Day, which this year falls on April 18.

But you can take a cue from our Twitter-famous South Florida neighbor and be “smart,” too, by taking advantage of all possible deductions, exemptions and tax credits to legally cheat the tax man.

Several nonprofits, such as the United Way in Palm Beach County and Hispanic Unity Florida and the United Way in Broward, are offering free tax preparation through the Internal Revenue Services’ Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The free service, valued at up to $150, is offered in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole, among other languages.

A corp of IRS-certified volunteer tax professionals help low- to moderate-income individuals and families, as well as seniors in certain income brackets to take full advantage of deductions, including more than $6,200 in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) and elderly and child credits,

Households with no children may qualify for a credit of up to $506; with one child, it’s $3,373; two is $5,572; and three or more kids is $6,269.

If you qualify and don’t claim the credit, you’re leaving big money on the table. BAD!

In Palm Beach County, those who earned less than $64,000 per household in 2016 can take advantage of VITA services at a host of locations listed at TaxesFiledFree.org.

“In previous years, Palm Beach residents have banked more than $72 million in EITC credits,” says Vivian Pazmino, the VITA program administrator for the United Way of Palm Beach County. “Residents also saved more than $2.5 million in tax preparation fees in 2016.”

Since 2004, more than 116,000 Palm Beach County families have been served by tax pros, receiving $184 million in refunds, Pazmino says.

Trump would be very proud.

In Broward County, families earning a household income of $54,000 or less can get free tax preparation and filing through the VITA program, sponsored by Hispanic Unity of Florida, the United Way and the Chil-

dren’s Services Council, among others. (The income threshold for free services is set by VITA administrators in each county.) If you make $64,000 or less, you are eligible to file yourself online for free for MyFreeTaxes.org.

“During the 2016 tax season, $6.3 million in taxes were refunded to Broward County working families and individuals and more than 5,800 people were served across 15 site locations,” Josie Bacallao, president and CEO of Hispanic Unity of Florida, said in a news release.

Go to VITATaxesFree.org to see a list of dates and locations (click on the “2017 Site Schedule” tab). Or, call 211 or 954-537-0211.

For seniors, the nonprofit AARP Foundation TaxAide program also offers free tax prep to those age 60 and older with low- to moderate-income. Volunteers are trained in provisions of the tax code that affect older people. Go to AARP.org/taxaide or call 888-227-7669.

Those in all income brackets can file electronically for free at FreeFile.IRS.gov. The online software and filing options are provided by companies that have agreed to abide by IRS security and privacy rules.