Following a successful statewide outreach last year, Get Ahead Colorado will continue with its awareness and help campaign for tax filing assistance and sourcing available tax credits.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) recently announced it will continue the bilingual Get Ahead Colorado and Hacia Adelante Colorado statewide awareness campaigns.
Coloradans can use the resources offered through this program to save money and learn about how to receive tax credits including the child tax credit, earned income tax credit, and the child and dependent tax credit, among others, according to a news release.
Last year, the campaign resulted in $3.5 million claimed tax credits for low and moderate-income tax payers. The success of last year’s work was through a combination of help from the Polis-Primavera administration, CDPHE, AmeriCorps, and ServeColorado — in addition to Colorado Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly volunteers.
Almost one in four Coloradans do not claim tax credits that they are eligible for, according to Heather Link-Bergman, economic mobility communications manager in the Prevention Services Division at CDPHE. So this team aims to close that gap. There is a reason behind why this gap may exist, according to Link-Bergman. One example is that low-income Coloradans may not be making enough money to be required to file a tax return, so tax credits that they still qualify for may be skipped over.
“We want to make sure that folks who are eligible to receive tax credits — so for example, the child tax credit or the earned income tax credit are two big ones — we want to make sure that they are able to get these credits,” Link-Bergman said.
This campaign will connect those interested in filing returns with three free-and-secure ways to file their taxes: Whether it be through the online platform, with an IRS-certified tax preparer on a smartphone, or in-person at one of the Colorado nonprofit organization's site location, according to the news release. This program is funded by the Senate Bill 22-182 Economic Mobility Program.
“We are making sure Coloradans can keep more of their hard-earned money, and this tax season we encourage Coloradans to check out this great opportunity to get free and secure tax support,” Gov. Jared Polis said in the release.
Link-Bergman said that tax credits help reduce poverty and increase economic well-being for many.
“Tax credits can help people manage the stress of rising expenses as well, so they can afford fresh food or afford to pay for child care or afford to meet the rising cost of housing,” Link-Bergman said. “So being able to reduce that stress also has a positive outcome for folks.”
For more information, or accessing help in filing tax returns, visit GetAheadColorado.org or HaciaAdelanteColorado.org.
