by Every tax season, Prepare and Prosper files over 10,000 tax returns for low income Minnesota residents for free.
The St. Paul nonprofit offers free tax prep for individuals who make less than $40,000 a year, and families with a yearly household income of less than $70,000 a year.
Over 400 volunteer preparers and a small staff provide Prepare and Prosper’s services. DIY tax prep coordinator Jonathan Gaw said appointments slots for free tax prep open biweekly and fill within hours.
Faced with turning clients away after their appointments fill, Prepare and Prosper is turning to Gaw and his do-it-yourself program to take on people who feel comfortable filing their own taxes through the nonprofit’s resources.
“It’s not a hard thing to do, it’s a tedious thing to do,” Gaw said. “And sometimes, just having a little patience to get through it is all they need.”
The DIY program filed 4,000 returns last year, and Gaw said it can reach a broader range of clients than the free tax prep program.
Non-Minnesota residents, active military, international students and those who filed for bankruptcy in the previous tax year can use DIY, but would not qualify for free tax prep.
Customer service coordinator Diego Sustaita said if clients opt to use DIY instead of free tax prep, it takes some of the workload off of his team.
“It helps a lot,” Sustaita said. “It’s only four of us and throughout the entire season we take about 10,000 calls.”
Upon enrolling in DIY, clients immediately receive, via email, free tax filing software, a 20 page prep guide, and a link to a live webinar where they can ask questions to volunteers.
Prepare and Prosper started the program in 2020 to provide remote tax filing assistance amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Communications senior manager Jean Thompson said Prepare and Prosper’s mission is all about helping those with low income find financial empowerment.
“We know that financial empowerment is tied very closely to opportunity,” Thompson said. “It’s really a privilege thing.”
Free tax prep appointments, the DIY program and the organization’s other financial services can be found on their website, prepareandprosper.org.
