Goodwill locations in many cities host free tax preparation through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, known as VITA, where certified volunteers prepare federal and state returns at no charge. For returns filed in 2026, VITA generally serves taxpayers who earned $69,000 or less during the 2025 tax year.1Internal Revenue Service. The Filing Season: How to Get Assistance Not every Goodwill runs a site, appointments fill quickly once filing season opens in late January, and the search phrase “Goodwill free tax preparation near me” points to a locator tool rather than a guaranteed local service. Confirm before you go.
Who Qualifies
VITA sites, at Goodwill and elsewhere, serve taxpayers who generally earned $69,000 or less, people with disabilities, and those with limited English proficiency.1Internal Revenue Service. The Filing Season: How to Get Assistance A separate program, Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), focuses on taxpayers aged 60 and older, most often through AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, which does not require AARP membership.2Internal Revenue Service. Free Tax Return Preparation for Qualifying Taxpayers
Volunteers handle straightforward returns: W-2 wages, unemployment compensation, Social Security benefits, and basic interest or dividend income on a 1099.3University of Connecticut VITA Business. Scope of Service They are also trained on the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, which are often the credits worth the most money to lower-income filers.
Returns VITA Volunteers Cannot Prepare
VITA has hard limits. If your situation crosses into one of the categories below, the volunteer will stop and refer you elsewhere. Check before you make the trip.
- Farm income or losses.
- Sales of business property and similar complex gains or losses.
- Digital asset transactions that require you to answer “yes” to the digital asset question on Form 1040.
- The 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on high earners.
- Minister housing or parsonage allowance calculations.
- Noncovered bonds bought between interest dates, certain private activity bond interest, and specific dividend categories like Section 1202 gain or liquidation distributions.4Internal Revenue Service. Out of Scope Situations for VITA/TCE
Extensive investment activity, rental property, and foreign income also generally fall outside what volunteers prepare. If your return is out of scope, skip to the free filing alternatives further down.
Finding a Goodwill Site Near You
The fastest route is the IRS Free Tax Prep Help Locator at freetaxassistance.for.irs.gov. Enter your zip code and the tool returns nearby VITA and TCE sites with addresses, hours, and phone numbers.5Internal Revenue Service. Free Tax Prep Help Site Locator Not every result is a Goodwill. Libraries, churches, community colleges, and United Way offices also host sites, so scan the list or call the number to confirm the location is Goodwill-affiliated.
You can also reach the VITA hotline at 800-906-9887. Sites open in late January and close around April 15, so hours change often. Call ahead. Last year’s schedule is not reliable.
Drop-Off and Virtual Options
Many sites now use a drop-off model. You leave your documents, a volunteer prepares the return, and you return to review and sign. Ask the site how they operate before showing up expecting a sit-down session.
If nothing is convenient, GetYourRefund.org offers fully virtual preparation by IRS-certified volunteers. You upload photos of your documents and ID, answer intake questions, and a volunteer prepares the return remotely. It is available nationwide with the suggested income cap of $69,000, and turnaround typically runs two to three weeks.6GetYourRefund. Free Tax Help from IRS-Certified Volunteers That timeline is a reason to start early.
What to Bring
Showing up short a document is the most common reason people waste a trip. Gather everything before you book.
- Photo ID for you and your spouse if filing jointly: driver’s license, state ID, passport, or military ID.7Internal Revenue Service. Checklist for Free Tax Return Preparation
- Social Security cards or ITIN letters for you, your spouse, and every dependent.7Internal Revenue Service. Checklist for Free Tax Return Preparation
- Every W-2, all 1099s (interest, dividends, freelance, retirement distributions), and Form SSA-1099 if you received Social Security benefits.7Internal Revenue Service. Checklist for Free Tax Return Preparation
- Form 1095-A if you had Marketplace health coverage.7Internal Revenue Service. Checklist for Free Tax Return Preparation
- A bank routing and account number for direct deposit or direct debit.
- Last year’s tax return, which speeds the process and helps volunteers catch issues.
If the IRS has assigned you an Identity Protection PIN, bring it. The IP PIN is a six-digit number that blocks anyone else from filing under your Social Security number, and a new one is generated each year. Your return cannot be e-filed without it.8Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN Retrieve a lost PIN through the IRS online tool before your appointment.
What Happens at the Appointment
Intake comes first. A volunteer confirms your filing status, walks through your income documents, and checks whether each dependent qualifies. This step often takes longer than the actual return.
Every VITA return then goes through a required quality review by a second volunteer, who verifies names, Social Security numbers, filing status, income, deductions, and credits.9Internal Revenue Service. Quality Review Process You review the completed return yourself and sign Form 8879, which authorizes electronic filing.10Internal Revenue Service. About Form 8879, IRS e-file Signature Authorization You leave with a printed copy.
When to Expect Your Refund
The IRS issues most refunds from electronically filed returns in fewer than 21 days when you choose direct deposit.11Internal Revenue Service. IRS Opens 2026 Filing Season Returns claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit early in the season can take longer. The “Where’s My Refund?” tool on irs.gov shows status within 24 hours of e-filing. State refund timing varies and most states run their own tracking portal.
If You Miss the Deadline
Goodwill and other VITA sites typically close around April 15, 2026, the federal deadline for 2025 returns.12Internal Revenue Service. IRS Announces First Day of 2026 Filing Season File Form 4868 by April 15 for an automatic extension to October 15, 2026. The extension buys time to file, not time to pay. Any balance due is still owed on April 15, and interest and penalties run from that date.13Internal Revenue Service. Get an Extension to File Your Tax Return
If you are owed a refund, there is no penalty for filing late, but the money sits with the Treasury until you file. Some VITA sites reopen in the fall or operate year-round. Check the locator after the regular season, or use GetYourRefund.org, which supports multiple tax years.6GetYourRefund. Free Tax Help from IRS-Certified Volunteers
Free Options If You Don’t Qualify
Earn too much for VITA, or have a return that’s out of scope? IRS Free File offers guided tax software at no cost for taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $89,000 or less, accessed through irs.gov. Free File covers more forms and schedules than a volunteer site can.14Internal Revenue Service. E-file: Do Your Taxes for Free Above $89,000, IRS Free File Fillable Forms gives you blank electronic federal forms with basic calculations, though there is no guided interview. IRS Direct File, the government-built filing tool, is not available for the 2026 filing season, and the IRS has not announced a relaunch date.