Are You Missing Out on a Tax Refund?

With the questions and confusion that each tax season brings, it can be easy to feel lost and miss out on all the money you could be eligible for. Many times people who don’t make a lot of money and busy families don’t realize they could receive a refund by filing taxes. 

Even if you weren’t required to file taxes in 2024, it may not be too late to benefit from the tax credits that you are owed. For example, a childless worker earning $8,260 may be eligible for $632 in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). A parent of two children who earns $17,400 may be eligible for $6,960 in the EITC and another $4,400 in the Child Tax Credit (CTC). See if you are eligible for the EITC here and for the CTC here. 

There are a number of ways to file taxes for free. If you didn’t file for the last three years, but are owed a refund, you can still file past returns without penalty.

Other people who may be missing out on tax credits like the EITC and CTC are low-income workers, grandparents raising grandchildren, college students, gig workers, people between addresses, people being incorrectly claimed by former foster parents, and more. If you fit within any of these categories, or have questions about whether or not you might be eligible for a refund, learn more on our FAQs page.

If you have a more complicated situation or still need personal help, you may want to reach out to a volunteer tax assistance organization to find out how to file. In Chicago, LadderUp provides additional assistance to the community. Other trained Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs nationwide are listed on the IRS website. Code for America’s Get Your Refund website can also help link you to a local nonprofit who can help. Note, more assistance is generally available during peak tax filing times when VITA programs have the most capacity.