VITA Free Tax Prep
Keep More Money in Your Pocket for You and Your Family!
Learn About VITA
VITA, or Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, assists low-to-moderate income individuals by offering free tax filing services, run on the power of local volunteers.
Our VITA service has helped hundreds of seniors, families, and individuals—most recently assisting 941 households in the 2025 tax year to file for free and return $818,099 in federal refunds to our local community.
We encourage you to take advantage of this free service or share it with someone you know who could benefit from it.
Do you have any more questions about VITA? Please don’t hesitate to drop us a message at VITA@norcalunitedway.org, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Need help uploading online? Click the button below to watch a tutorial.
California Tax Credits You May Qualify For
When you file your taxes, you may qualify for additional credits that can increase your refund. These credits are available to many working individuals and families in California.
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The California Earned Income Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit for low- to moderate-income workers. If you qualify, you can receive money back even if you owe no taxes.
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The Young Child Tax Credit provides an additional credit for families who qualify for CalEITC and have a child under age 6. This credit can increase your refund.
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The Foster Youth Tax Credit is available for current and former foster youth between the ages of 18–25 who meet income requirements.
Many Californians who qualify for CalEITC may also qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit, a federal credit that can significantly increase your tax refund.
Frequenty Asked Questions
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If you meet these requirements, then yes:
Income up to $69,000
No rental income from a property of your own
Did not file for bankruptcy last year
Had no cancellation of debt outside of non-business credit cards
No clergy income
If married, are filing jointly
If self-employed, no business-related expenses over $35,000, or businesses with employees, inventory, business property, net loss, or depreciating assets
No sales of cryptocurrency
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You can check your refund status here.
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We do not have in-person appointments this year, however, our partner AARP offers in-person appointments. Please call (530) 500-2206.
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Sites can be located here.
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Chico Tri Counties Bank:
780 Mangrove Avenue, Chico, CA 95926
Open 02/10/2026-4/02/2026
Tuesdays & Thursdays 9 am - 5 pm walk-ins, no appointments neededSusanville Salvation Army:
1560 Main Street, Susanville, CA 96130
530-257-0314
Open: 02/09/2026 - April 15th, 2026
Monday-Thursday: 1 pm - 4 pm -
You can file them yourself online at myfreetaxes.org.
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You can visit myfreetaxes.org to file for free.
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Please refer to the available FAQ’s. If you still have an unanswered question, then you can call our office number from Tuesday - Thursday from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm.
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More info coming soon.
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You can retrieve any tax transcripts through irs.gov, and for the state, visit the franchise tax board.
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Yes, there is a Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) in Redding, CA, located at 850 Industrial Street, Redding CA, 96002.
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Yes, we file back to tax year 2020.
Have more questions? Click the button below to view more FAQ from United Ways of California.
Volunteers Needed!
Interested in volunteering for our VITA program? Click the button to get involved!