skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Free Tax Help for Arkansans Available Through AARP Program

play audio
Play

Wednesday, February 28, 2018   

FORT SMITH, Ark. — The income-tax filing deadline is April 17 this year, and if you can't afford professional help with your tax return, free assistance is available.

The AARP Foundation's Tax-Aide Program offers no-cost services in Arkansas preparing federal and state tax returns.

Joe Irwin, a communications specialist with Tax-Aide in Fort Smith, says most people's taxes used to be a simple matter, but not anymore.

"Nowadays, if you don't have a program that has the law and the brackets and all the mathematics built into it, it's very, very difficult just to do everyday, simple tax returns without some kind of help," he laments.

Irwin says Tax-Aide will be available at 20 locations across Arkansas this season, including senior centers, libraries and community centers.

To find a Tax-Aide site in your area, go to aarp.com/taxhelp or call 1-888-AARPNOW (1-888-227-7669). The dates and times each site is open will vary by site.

Irwin adds that you don't need to be an AARP member or even be age 50 or older to get their help. He says while they do prepare most returns, there are a few they don't handle.

"We exclude the farm income, the man of the cloth, rent income, depreciation, things like that," he says. "There's not necessarily a cap on income, but if it's out of scope for us we tell people right off the bat before we get too involved."

Last year, he says almost 200 Tax-Aide volunteers assisted more than 19,000 Arkansans in completing and electronically filing their returns. He says, unfortunately, tax time is when a lot of people discover that their identity has been stolen.

"There's so many people that have stolen identity that they have to have a PIN number issued every year by the IRS," he explains. "The PIN number is issued every year until IRS resolves a stolen Social Security number."

AARP Foundation's Tax-Aide program is celebrating its 50th year as the nation's largest free tax assistance service.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021