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The United Way of Lancaster County’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is now scheduling appointments for tax preparation.

The Lancaster VITA is one of more than 12,000 VITA programs across the country that help people file their taxes every year completely free of charge. The volunteer tax preparers at VITA go through at least 40 hours of tax-law training and are certified by the IRS.

The service is available to anyone who makes $62,000 or less and lives in Lancaster County.

This year, in response to the pandemic, VITA has modified the way it delivers services in order to keep both clients and volunteers safe.

VITA now offers a contactless, virtual option through a partnership with Get Your Refund, which allows clients to securely upload their tax information and documents.

They will then receive a call from an IRS-certified tax preparer who will prepare the tax return, review it with them, and then send a secure email file with the completed return.

There are also free-file options and limited “drop-off” appointments at several locations throughout Lancaster County.

To schedule a drop-off appointment at one of VITA’s tax-preparation sites, call the United Way’s 211 referral service.

Taxpayers can schedule appointments online and obtain information about VITA locations, eligibility requirements, and other details by visiting freetaxpreplancaster.org. There, click on the Get Your Refund link to get additional information and begin the virtual tax preparation.

VITA also offers a free online program that allows taxpayers to file federal and state tax returns at myfreetaxes.com.