Free IRS-Certified Tax Preparation

The Prosperity Center is an IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site offering FREE tax preparation for individuals and families with gross annual household income of $52,000 or less.

Our site is located in the Rockhurst Community Center at 54th Street and Troost Ave from 8:00am to 12:00pm on Saturdays during this tax season.

Registration is required for volunteer assistance, but you can self-file your federal returns and state returns for free at www.MyFreeTaxes.com/PCKC.

Register on our website or call to schedule an appointment.

What to bring:

• Social Security card for each family member or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) assignment letter
• Valid photo ID
• W-2 forms from all jobs worked in 2013
• All 1099 forms for other income, if any
• Total paid for child care, provider name, address and tax ID
• Any other tax-related documents for 2013
• Proof of bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of refund 
• A copy of your 2012 tax return (if available)
• All adults on return must be present to sign

Prosperity Center Tax Volunteers can help your refund grow by depositing it into your savings account, retirement account or US Savings Bonds. Let us help you file your taxes and plan for your future financial goals!

Tax Season Volunteer Opportunities

The Prosperity Center has a number of volunteer opportunities this tax season. As an IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Site, we offer free tax help to individuals and families with incomes under $52,000. Volunteers of all skill levels are welcome. Contact us to sign up.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

Site Coordinator
Manage all facets of a VITA site, including managing volunteers, setting up the Site, transmitting returns, contacting clients concerning rejected returns, retransmitting corrected returns, and collecting and submitting data. The Site Coordinator must be comfortable using a computer and have the ability to use Microsoft Windows-type programs. In general, advanced-level tax certification is required.

Financial Specialist 
Help Prosperity Center clients understand the value of transactional and/or savings accounts. The Financial Specialist may open accounts for clients who choose to establish one of these relationships. Computer and Internet experience is required for this position. A background in financial education or financial services is helpful.

Greeter 
Act as the initial contact to the taxpayer, helping coordinate traffic flow and ensuring that the taxpayer qualifies for free tax assistance. The Greeter has each client sign in and provides information sheets to be completed. No income tax knowledge is necessary for this position.

Information Assistant 
Gather appropriate documentation for the Tax Preparer, reviews the client information sheets for completion, and provides appropriate data as noted on information sheets. No income tax knowledge is necessary for this position.

Interpreter 
Facilitate bilingual communications between the clients and the tax preparer. No income tax knowledge is necessary for this position.

Quality Control Reviewer 
Check each return for accuracy and completeness before it is transmitted. The Quality Control Reviewer completes and initials a checklist for each return. Advanced-level tax certification is required.

Tax Preparer 
Review client documentation, interview the client, and prepare the client’s personal federal, state, and local income tax returns on a computer. You must be comfortable using a computer. Basic-level tax certification is required.

Tax Coach 
Help taxpayers who choose to prepare their own returns under the assisted self-preparation model. The Tax Coach must be comfortable using a computer and have the ability to use Internet tax programs. It is recommended that you be familiar with completing your own tax returns. Basic-level tax certification is required.

2014 Community Workshops and Tax Prep

We are kicking off the new year with new community workshops. The Prosperity Center is also a VITA tax preparation site, providing free income tax filing assistance for households with income of $52,000 or less.

Workshops are free and open to everyone, but registration is required. Contact us to register and get started toward your 2014 goals!

Prosperity Center for Financial Opportunity

2014 Community Workshops

EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION & FINANCIAL COACHING

ABC's of Personal Finance	January 25th	10:00 am
Filing Your FAFSA	February 11th	4:00 pm
Living on a Fixed Income	March 11th	4:00 pm
LinkedIn Networking	April 8th	12:00 pm
Choose to Save	May 17th	10:00 am
Online Job Applications	May 31st	10:00 am

TAX PREPARATION

February 15th	8:00 am-Noon
February 22nd	8:00 am-Noon
March 15th	8:00 am-Noon
March 29th	8:00 am-Noon
April 12th	8:00 am-Noon

November Success Story

Congratulations to Prosperity Center client Kent on his full-time position that will offer benefits and a competitive salary in a field of his interest! Well educated and experienced, he came to the Prosperity Center discouraged after being laid off 5 years ago, working odd jobs and freelancing to make ends meet. Employment Coaches helped him improve his resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and practice his interview skills, while Financial Coaching and Income Supports access helped his family live on a budget. Just over a month after he became a client, Kent was offered a position through a source referred to the Prosperity Center. He shared his gratitude in an email:

“I cannot thank you enough for the benefits there has been working to get to this point with Tiffany and Kourtney. The resume worked and it is clear that without your passing my resume to them, I would not even know about the job and I wouldn’t be in this new opportunity. Thank you so much for your help and confidence in recommending me for the position. I can’t tell you how great it feels to be doing something again that is in my core skill set.”

Thanks to his motivation and dedication to his family, Kent was able to overcome the barriers of long-term unemployment. We are proud to have him as a client and look forward to hearing about the steps he is taking in his new career.

Don’t Let Black Friday Lead to the January Blues

Our friends at Apprisen compiled some cautionary advise about overspending during the holidays. Read their tips below. For more assistance managing debt, developing a spending plan, monitoring and improving your credit, and planning for the future, call (816) 501-4239 to schedule a Program Overview.

Don’t Let Black Friday Lead to the January Blues

Ramifications of overspending are too costly to ignore 

Americans can be generous – to a fault - and never is that character trait more evident than during the holiday shopping season.  

At this time of year, millions of people put their financial common sense on the shelf, tucking it away into a winter hibernation of sorts, thereby making it much easier to take part in the once per year phenomenon known as Black Friday, the mother of all shopping days. The problem with this practice is that financial reality is just around the corner, never failing to emerge in January as a mailbox full of credit card statements.

With avid shoppers counting down the days until the Black Friday bonanza, Apprisen offers the following 10 reminders of the ramifications of overspending:

• Adding new debt on top of old is never a good idea, yet many people will enter the 2013 holiday shopping season still paying for 2012 purchases. When debt is carried over from month-to-month, cardholders lose the benefit of a grace period, the time during which a person can pay the monthly credit card bill before interest begins to accrue.  When debt is revolved, new purchases begin to incur interest immediately.
• Paying interest on the interest occurs when debt is carried over from month-to-month. When a debt is not paid in full by the due date, interest is added to the balance. This amount adds up over time, creating an impediment to becoming debt free. 
• Late fees and over-limit fees can cause balances to grow to an unmanageable level. Issuers may charge a late fee of $25 with the first late payment, and with 45 days notice, increase the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) to a higher interest rate on new purchases. However, consumers who make late payments more than once in a six-month period may be assessed a higher late fee with the penalty APR also applied to existing balances.  
• An inability to pay as agreed could result in negative notations on a person’s credit report, with late or missed payments remaining on the report for seven years. Further, the all-important credit scores are based on information in the credit report. Along with other factors and depending on the extent of the delinquency, the drop could be by as much as 100 points.   
• Less credit will be available on existing cards. Credit cards have a spending limit beyond which the user cannot charge without penalty. Since no one knows what tomorrow holds, over-utilizing open lines of credit can leave a person without a credit safety net for future purchases, unplanned expenses or emergencies.   
• Diminished access to new or additional credit can be the result of irresponsibly handling existing credit.  Issuers are less likely to extend more credit to a person who cannot manage current debt obligations.  If credit is granted, it will likely be at a higher interest rate.  
• Beyond credit cards, decisions involving Insurance, renting an apartment, establishing utility or cell phone services, or finding employment can be affected by a person’s ability to manage debt.  
• Servicing a large amount of debt can diminish the amount of money available for other necessary components of financial stability such as saving or investing.  
• Bills not paid on time can have very serious consequences including collection efforts, lawsuits, judgments and wage garnishment. Each of these can have a long-term negative impact on a person’s daily life as well as future borrowing power.
• Overspending can force a person into making desperate choices such as resorting to pay-day loans, pawn shops, bankruptcy or debt settlement.

Now is the time for financial awareness, not after the damage is done. Consumers need to ask themselves if taking on unmanageable debt this holiday season is worth putting their financial well-being at risk.