Press Releases

U.S. Representative Don Beyer joined community leaders this morning to urge eligible Virginians to use Virginia Free File and the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs to save money at tax time. 

"I began by keeping the books at my family business 41 years ago. I know exactly how stressful tax season can be," said Rep. Beyer. "A majority of us do not have the resources to hire an accountant to make sure our families and businesses take advantage of every credit and deduction for which they are eligible. One of my favorite programs, the Earned Income Tax Credit, can help middle class families get up to $6,000 back from the IRS. Last year the average refund for those who claimed the Credit was $2,400. However, up to 25 percent of people who qualify for EITC do not claim it. That is money that can help many American families balance their budgets."

Free File is a public-private partnership between the Internal Revenue Service and tax preparation software companies. Virginia is one of 20 states plus the District of Columbia that have formed state Free File programs, enabling taxpayers earning less than $60,000 to file both their federal and state tax return online for free. 

Beyer continued: "Nobody should miss out on the opportunity to get the full amount of their hard-earned tax refund. So I am quite grateful that all these great organizations are helping Northern Virginia taxpayers complete their tax returns. The Free File and VITA programs are excellent examples of how government, the private sector, and community groups can work together.” 

Rep. Beyer was joined by Greg Williams, the Director of Bailey's Community Center, Loren Johnson from the Internal Revenue Service, Roman Corpuz of Enterprise Development Group, Chris Long from the Computer & Communications Industry Association and Susan Mason from the Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation.

Click to learn more about the Virginia Free File program, and the IRS Free File program.