Eligible Families May Get a Refund for as Much as $4,204 
with the Earned Income Tax Credit
January 16, 2004

AVAILABLE STARTING FEBRUARY 2, 2004
FREE TAX RETURN PREPARATION ASSISTANCE FOR 
ELIGIBLE LOW-INCOME NATIVE AMERICANS

What is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC)?
The EIC is a special federal tax credit for low-income workers and some students.

• The EIC returns up to $4,204 to eligible low-income taxpayers.
• The average credit for eligible workers with children is $2,000!
• Very low-income workers without children and students who cannot be claimed as another person’s dependent may qualify for a credit – on average worth more than $382.

The Tax Problem
Every year, many eligible low-income Native Americans do not get the credit because they do not know about the EIC or do not know how to claim it. Individuals who file their taxes using paid tax preparers may lose some of the refund they are entitled to because of preparation fees.

Who Is Eligible to Qualify for the EIC?
The most important factor is meeting the eligible income level. Below is a chart to help determine financial eligibility:

In addition, you must:

• be between the ages of 18 and 64;
• have a valid social security number;
• be a US citizen or legal permanent resident;
• have interest income less than $400;
• if you have a child that lived with you more than ½ the year, that child must be a close relative (i.e. child, stepchild, sibling, grandchild, niece, nephew) or foster child and must either be under age 19 as of Dec. 31. 2003, disabled or a student under age 24 as of Dec. 31, 2003.

How Can CILS Help You?
CILS can help you determine if you are eligible for the EIC. If you are eligible, CILS can help you prepare federal and California state income tax returns, and the EIC schedule, at no cost.

We can only provide free assistance to individuals who are eligible for the EIC and complete our EIC checklist. However, those individuals who do not qualify to receive the EIC, will be referred to their local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs for free tax preparation assistance. We urge any interested individual to contact us as soon as they receive their 2003 wage & tax statements (W-2s) so that we can determine what assistance the individual can receive. Do not wait until April 14^th! Services may be limited if you wait!

For EIC assistance, call CILS toll-free at 1(800) 829-0284.

How Can Tribes and Indian Organizations Help?
Your tribe or organization can make a difference!

• Let your members or clients know that CILS can assist them. Hang the enclosed poster in a location where your members or clients will see it. If you would like, CILS can provide you with additional posters or brochures. You can also make copies of this flyer and distribute this to them.
• Please distribute the enclosed brochures and flyers, which describe the program. With access to the internet, individuals can use the program themselves.
• If your tribe or organization has computers that clients or members can use, you can offer the on-line EIC tax preparation program directly to them. If you are interested, CILS can provide you with more details about how you can make this available to your community.
• If you’re interested in finding out more about how your tribe or organization can help, or getting additional copies of any of the enclosed materials, please contact CILS Advocate Sonia Montero at 1(800) 829-0284.

DOWNLOAD THIS INFORMATION AS A NOTICE TO POST AT YOUR ORGANIZATION! (opens new window)

Back

To view some of these documents, you will need Adobe Reader.  Click on the icon below to download Adobe Reader for free.