Federal Homelessness Resource Guide

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

The Internal Revenue Service employs 100,000 workers in four major operating divisions that are aligned by type of taxpayers: wage and investment; small business/self-employed; large and mid-size businesses, and tax exempt and government entities.

Here's What We Provide

• Information and Assistance

The IRS is responsible for administering the Nation's tax laws, policies, and processes. As part of that responsibility as well as to encourage voluntary compliance, IRS has charged the Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) Department with planning/providing free information and assistance to low to moderate-income; elderly; limited English proficiency, and disabled workers and families. The SPEC offices provide this service via volunteer-driven programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), and Financial Literacy programs.

• EITC and Other Tax Benefits

The EITC is the Nation's largest and most effective anti-poverty policies, as it lifts an average 5 million Americans above the poverty line each year. The SPEC offices generate public awareness of the EITC, Child Tax Credit (CTC), and other tax benefits in an effort to ensure workers eligible to claim these credits receive refunds.

Homeless individuals who work (e.g., one week, one month, or six months, in a tax year) may be eligible to claim the EITC, CTC and/or other tax benefits. Individuals who earn less than $35,000 a year and have one or more children may be eligible to claim an EITC refund of up to $4,000+. Individuals who earn less than $12,000 a year, are between the ages of 25 and 64, and have no children may be eligible to claim an EITC refund of up to $300+.

• Free Tax Preparation and Financial Literacy Education

SPEC works with community groups, organizations, schools, and churches to establish/operate VITA sites that offer income tax preparation free of charge. VITA helps low to moderate-income workers and families keep all of their refund dollars. In addition, working through banking institutions and nonprofits such as Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS), SPEC promotes Financial Literacy Education to help lower-income individuals and families save all or some of their EITC dollars to improve their financial well-being as well as have a good start toward asset accumulation.

Here's Who To Contact

Community based groups, organizations, agencies, schools, churches and libraries that wish to help SPEC promote EITC, VITA, and Financial Literacy Education to homeless individuals and families may contact their local SPEC Offices by phoning toll-free at 1-800-829-1040.

• U.S. Department of Treasury
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
  1-800-829-1040 Tax Assistance
  1-800-829-3676 Tax Forms/Pubs