Frequent Questions

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The Omaha Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Coalition is a volunteer-staffed effort to provide quality free tax preparation and financial services to low- and middle-income people in the Omaha metropolitan area. Our members are individuals, credit unions and banks, community and civic organizations, federal, state and local agencies, universities and other professional associations and coalitions dedicated to reducing poverty by increasing financial literacy and creating access to quality financial institutions and products. 

The Coalition meets on the first Thursday of the month at 9 am at the VITA Center (2108 Harvell Circle, Bellevue, NE). The Coalition does not meet in person during tax season (Feb-April). See our page for more information.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) services are intended for low-to-moderate income families. This typically means a household income of $65,000 or less. We do understand that each situation is unique, so families outside of these income guidelines may still qualify. Schedule an appointment on our webpage.

We file Federal and State taxes at no charge to the customer. Though we are volunteer driven, there are still costs to operating the sites and providing quality oversight. We rely on community support, grants, and donations to be able to offer this service year-round.

Donations are always appreciated. A donation of $0.50/week ($26/year) provides the funds for 1 box of paper to produce 220 free tax returns for low to middle income people. A donation of $1/week ($52 per year) provides the funds for 12 free tax returns for low to middle income people. One certified tax preparer volunteer could be trained for a donation of $2/week ($104 per year). And a donation of $3/week ($156 per year) provides the funds for 500 additional financial services, screenings and referrals to qualified professionals for low to middle income people.

During tax season (Jan-April), in Nebraska and western Iowa, you can visit our webpage or call 2-1-1 for the United Way of the Midlands Call Center to locate a site near you and schedule an appointment. After tax season, visit our webpage to see what appointments are available. We also have an online option, Tax360 SecureDrop.

You can also visit https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/ to locate a site anywhere in the United States.

□ Social security cards or ITINs for self, spouse, & dependents
□ Photo Identification
□ Copy of previous year’s tax returns
□ All W-2 and 1099 forms (Interest, Dividend, Miscellaneous, Retirement, SSA, Unemployment)
□ Gambling Winnings (W-2G, 1099-Misc)
□ Self-Employment Income and Expenses (1099-Misc, 1099-NEC, record of cash income and expenses)
□ Child care provider info (Name, address, EIN/SSN) and amounts paid
□ Property tax and mortgage interest forms (1098), charitable contributions, out-of-pocket medical expenses
□ Education expenses receipts (1098-T, book receipts)
□ Marketplace Health Insurance Forms (1095A)
□ Bank account and routing number for direct deposit
□ Both spouses must be present to sign return or in case of divorce/separation, may need spouse’s name and SSN (Alimony/Filing Separate)

All tax documents are required to file an accurate return. If you do not have all your documents, you will need to obtain the information from the IRS and the State Department of Revenue.
For Federal information, visit Get Your Transcript (https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript) to request transcripts online, or request them in person at the IRS building, 1616 Capitol Street, Omaha, NE 68102. If you have not filed your taxes for the tax year, you will need to request an unmasked Wage and Income Transcript. This will be a record of all your official tax documents for the year requested.
The Wage and Income Transcript will only have federal information on it. To complete a state return, you will need to contact the State Department of Revenue for a state transcript. For Nebraska wages, you will need to request the information at the Nebraska Department of Revenue, 1313 Farnam, Omaha, NE 68102. For any other state, you will need to visit the appropriate State Department of Revenue website to determine how to request a transcript.
Once you have all the required documents, you can schedule an appointment.

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC or EIC), devised by Congress in 1975, has become the most effective program for lifting low-income working families with children out of poverty and toward self-sufficiency, fostering family and community stability. This refundable credit on the federal income tax return partially restores Social Security and Medicare taxes paid by low wage earners. Visit the https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc to learn more.

Singles and couples without children may qualify for EIC. Filers must be between 25-64 years old, have social security numbers, and meet income requirements. You can check your eligibility at https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc.

Starting in tax year 2021, singles and couples who have Social Security numbers can claim the credit, even if their children don't have SSNs. In this instance, they would get the smaller credit available to childless workers based on their income and would not receive EIC for the children without SSNs. Visit https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc for more information.

The Child Tax Credit is a partially refundable credit for eligible children. The child must have a valid social security number, live in the US with the taxpayer at least 6 months of the year, and be under 17 years old. The child must also meet relationship and support requirements. The Child Tax Credit is a maximum of $2,200 per child age 16 and younger, with refunds limited to $1,700 per child. Other dependents—including adults, children aged 18 and full-time college students ages 19–24—may qualify for a nonrefundable credit of up to $500 each. Visit https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/child-tax-credit to learn more.

If you were eligible for the first or second stimulus payments but didn’t receive the full payment you were eligible for, you must have filed a 2020 or 2021 tax return to claim the stimulus (Economic Impact Payment) as a credit on the return. Only the past 3 years of taxes are eligible to still receive a refund, so you are not able to file now and get the stimulus. Visit https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/recovery-rebate-credit for more information.

You will need to file an amended (changed) return to report the missing information. You should wait to file the amended return until the original return is fully processed. You will know it has been processed when you have received both your Federal and State refunds, if you are receiving a refund.
To file an amended return, you will need to bring:
-A copy of the original return you submitted
-All tax documents originally filed and all information/forms that need to be added

If you do not have a copy of the return and all your tax documents, you will need to request transcripts from the IRS and the State Department of Revenue. IRS transcripts may be requested online at Get Your Transcript (https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript) or in person at 1616 Capital Street, Omaha, NE 68102. Nebraska state transcripts may be requested at 1313 Farnam, Omaha, NE 68102. For any other state, you will need to visit the appropriate State Department of Revenue website to determine how to request a transcript.
Once your original return has been processed and you have all required documents, you can schedule an appointment.

The Omaha EITC Coalition can file previous year taxes as well as current year taxes for Federal and State returns. You will need to have all tax documents or transcripts for each year you need to file. If you need to file any tax years prior to the last 3 years, please call 402-934-6750 to schedule an appointment.

The number on the front of a debit card is rarely the account number. To deposit your refund onto a debit card, you will need to call the customer service number on the back of the card and ask for the routing number and account number for your account.

Your refund can be deposited into up to three different checking or savings accounts. Your refund can only be deposited directly into accounts that are in your own name; your spouse’s name or both if it’s a joint account. You will need to have the routing and account numbers for all accounts you would like to use. Visit https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts for more information.

Once your tax return has been transmitted and accepted, we don't receive any more information about your refund. You can check the status of your Federal refund by calling 1-800-829-1954 or visiting Where's My Refund? (https://www.irs.gov/wheres-my-refund) You will need your social security number, your filing status, and refund amount expected to check the refund status.
To check the status of your Nebraska state refund, call 800-742-7474 or visit https://revenue.nebraska.gov/individuals/refund-information?
To check the status of your Iowa state refund, call 515-281-4966 or 800-572-3944 (Iowa only) or visit https://govconnect.iowa.gov/TAP/_/.
For any other state, you will need to visit the appropriate State Department of Revenue website.

To check on the federal status of an amended return, call 1-800-829-1954 or visiting Where's My Amended Refund? )https://www.irs.gov/filing/wheres-my-amended-return)
To check the state status of an amended return, you must call the state's Department of Revenue.

The amount of taxes withheld from your employment income is determined by the W-4 form you complete with your employer when you are hired. You may adjust your withholdings to have more or less taxes withheld by completing a new W-4 and submitting it to the Human Resources department at your employment. W-4 forms may be found by visiting www.irs.gov and searching W-4 or by contacting your Human Resources Department.
You can determine proper withholding by using the IRS Withholding Calculator (https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator). Have your most recent paystub(s) for you and your spouse, any other income information, and your most recent tax return available.