Jobs and Tax Refunds

Seattle Jobs Initiative

The Seattle Jobs Initiative addresses a critical need of Seattle’s low-income residents by providing job training and support services, plus access to housing, child care, transportation and counseling. Together, these services make it possible for people to secure, retain and advance in jobs that pay a living wage.

By establishing partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations, community colleges and employers, the Seattle Jobs Initiative links Seattle’s low-income and low-skilled residents to jobs that pay living wages and offer room for advancement and also offer health coverage, sick leave and paid vacations.

Information

For more information, visit the Seattle Jobs Initiative web site

• For information about related programs, visit the Age 55+ Employment Resource Center



• Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County

Free tax preparation: keep more of what you earn

Between mid-January and April 15, United Way of King County provides free tax preparation and access to the Earned Income Tax Credit and other programs to help working families increase their incomes and create savings. The free tax preparation allows low-income people to keep more of their hard-earned money and avoid paying unnecessary fees for commercial tax preparation and costly "rapid refund" loans.

In 2008, United Way of King County helped return about $14.4 million in federal refunds back to the community, including $4.6 million in Earned Income Tax Credits. In addition, the campaign saved tax customers more than $925,000 in tax preparation fees.

Specifically, the Earned Income Tax Credit campaign by United Way offers:

• Free tax preparation and electronic filing
• Assistance in signing up for certain public benefits
• Help for immigrants (multilingual services and applications for individual tax payer identification numbers)
• Information and referral to credit and debt counseling, financial education, homeownership counseling and individual development accounts

Information

For more information, visit the United Way’s Earned Income Tax Credit web site.