Americans spend an average of 13 hours and $290 filing their taxes, according to the latest data.
But for taxpayers across the greater Tampa Bay region, there's a better way.
United Way Suncoast offers free tax preparation services at 35 sites across the five-county region it serves, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties.
To qualify, taxpayers must live in a household earning less than $96,000.
In addition, the nonprofit is hosting its annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Tax-A-Thon on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Enoch Davis Center in St. Petersburg.
Nichole Peña Miller, the senior director of financial security at United Way Suncoast, said the free tax assistance relieves the compliance burden of keeping up with the changing tax code.
“Tax laws change every year," she said. "Our volunteers will...make sure that individuals get every credit they're eligible for, and it will be double-checked to make sure that nothing's missed," she said.
She said that taxpayers often leave money on the table, like savings from an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Child Tax Credit (CTC).
For taxpayers, like Cheryl James, those dollars matter. She's a 66-year-old St. Petersburg resident and air force veteran who works full-time at Bay Pines VA Hospital.
This week, she filed her taxes at the Child's Park YMCA with an IRS-trained volunteer with United Way Suncoast. It's her second year using the service.
"Last year, I got a return. It was only a hot $83, but rather have that than have to pay out," she said.
This year, she's hoping for more savings since she has plans for retirement and an upcoming elective surgery.
In 2024, a survey of United Way's VITA customers found that 80 percent of taxpayers who received a refund put it toward basic expenses, reducing debt or saving for the future.
Last year, the program helped to prepare nearly 10,000 tax returns for families across the region, totaling $10 million in refunds and unpaid fees.
“What's our bill? Zero, yes...just [a] smile. So...they get a smile when they leave," Thomas Barber, a VITA volunteer of 11 years, said.
Find a location for United Way's free tax assistance and make an appointment at UWSVITA.org.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
