Training Alert!

Franklin County Sites:  A rare occurrence is taking place.  One of our tax trainings in Franklin County is not filled!  Do you have anyone at your site that still needs training for this tax season?  Hurry and register them for TOMORROW (Tuesday, February, 15th from 9:30 am - 4:00 pm).  Please contact Heather Pennington to get a spot at 614.935.8401. 

The training is at our downton office, 51 N. High Street, Columbus 43215. The building is on the corner of High Street and Gay Street. The entrance is on the Gay Street side of the building on the corner directly across the street from the Diamond Exchange. Our receptionist will buzz you in and take you back to the computer lab. 

As always, our most current training schedule can be found by clicking on the calendar on the right hand sidebar of this blog.

Rejections, PINs, and Promotions

Here is important information from our weekly Tax Season Updates email:

• Are you getting a lot of calls from clients with rejected e-files? Give this document to your clients at the end of your session to help them log on to their account, check their e-file status, and fix their own e-file errors! This document can also be found in our tax clinic kit.
• Important! There is a new way to sign an e-file. When a 2009 AGI or 2009 Pin cannot be located, clients may now use a NEW Electronic Filing Pin given to them by the IRS by going to this IRS website.
• Want to promote OBB services in your area? Order OBB door hangers to let your neighborhood know about OBB tax services!

Tax Season by the numbers

Yesterday was our biggest day yet here at the Ohio Benefit Bank Direct Service Office and across the entire state! In one day, OBB sites and ohiobenefits.org served 1,477 people.

From January 1st through 11:30 am today (February 11th), we have served over 12,644 clients in completing 19,318 different applications!

The hotline has also answered 4,351 phone calls!

A huge kudos to our hotline workers who field calls from all over Ohio and then tell clients which of your sites they can visit to get help, and of course a huge kudos to all of you for all the work you do with The Benefit Bank!  Remember, if you ever get overwhelmed by clients, let a Central Ohio team member (Zach, Sarah or Heather) know so we can either take you off our referral list, or permanently remove you from being a public site.

Advertising: Did you know?

Did you know? The Ohio Benefit Bank tax assistance service has a commercial!



This commercial is for benefits, but I had to include it in this post, considering yours truly may make a cameo:

Boosting Individuals and the Economy

Yesterday I (Sarah) attended one of the Tax Clinics at a Job and Family Services Opportunity Center organized by my fantastic colleagues Heather and Emily.  Staying in the spirit with our photo contest (reminders, links and instructions at the end of this post), I captured a couple of the happy clients I assisted yesterday!

• Don't forget to enter the OBB Statewide Photo Contest 2011! If you need to review the rules click here. If you would like to enter a photo, fill out the photo release and submit both to Joree Jacobs at jjacobs@oashf.org. Prizes will be given for 1st 2nd and 3rd place photos!

School District Taxes

From Sarah, a Community Trainer:  I will be the first to admit taxes are intimidating.  Many of you who attended my trainings have heard me say that I just graduated with a Communications and Media degree, nothing to do with taxes, math, government, policy, etc.  Using The Benefit Bank tool empowered me to be successful at something I wouldn't have touched with a 39 and a half foot pole a couple months ago, but there are still a couple of confusing parts.  I have noticed that many fellow counselors start sweating when you get to school district taxes.  Can I show you a summary of a school district situation I encountered yesterday?  This client moved within the year, didn't work in the same town she lived in, and had a mailing address in an altogether different district:

(Click on the image to view a larger version in your browser)

It took a while to confirm the information, but The Benefit Bank did an awesome job giving follow-up instructions, breaking down where she paid, where she overpaid, where she didn't have to pay, and how to file the additional SD taxes (as we could only submit one of the districts with our e-file).

To help ease nerves and continue to make you more expert counselors, I want to make sure everyone saw this important section on SD taxes in our last OBB blast email:

• Finally, some clarifying information about school district tax:

1.     Not all W-2s identify school district tax the same way. In most cases you will look for "SD" or "School District" in the locality field of the W-2 (under the Ohio tax section).

2.     Be aware that some school disticts may have the same name as a city. In this case, make sure that the item you are looking at is not a city tax.

3.     Click here for a list of school districts, highlighted in red are districts which require residents to file school district taxes. To find out which school district you live in click here and enter your address.

Tax Clinics Around the Region

This past Saturday I had the privilege of attending four tax clinics in four different counties throughout the Central Ohio region. As the day's schedule started to come together I knew that I was in for a treat.

Our Tri-County Counselors

The first clinic I attended was at the Champaign County office of Tri-County Community Action. This agency has been preparing tax returns with the OBB for three years and they were opening their offices on a Saturday to accomodate some additional appointments. Stepheni showed me around and a couple of the counselors pulled me in for questions. One client had forms related Health Savings Account contributions and distributions; it was good to work through these forms knowing that last year we would have needed to refer this indivudal on! One practice that I saw repeated at other clinics I visited throughout the day was a couple of computers set up for those who felt comfortable using the OBB Self Serve. Next I went up to the Logan County office of Tri-County Community Action where they were running a clinic that was equally busy. I didn't stay long though, it was clear these counselors knew what they were doing!

The long stretch of my drive was from Logan County to Pickaway County where I attended the Super Saturday event put on by the Pickaway County Community Action or PICCA. PICCA has been one of the top producing OBB tax sites for several years running. They have a very active pool of volunteer OBB counselors who are also certified VITA volunteers. VITA, or Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, is a program through the IRS that trains volunteers to prepare returns for low-income filers. A few minor snags resulted in some of the appointments running behind. However, the smiling faces, laughter, and infectious energy in the room would have lead you to believe that you were at Circleville's famous Pumpkin Show, certainly not a tax preparation event! At this event the Site Administrator, Teresa, had invited The Savings Bank to advertise their new debit card product designed for people who are un-banked or under-banked. This program provides an opportuntiy for people without bank accounts to take advantage of the speed and convenience offered by Direct Deposit.

The last tax clinic I visited was hosted at The Well at Sunnyside. This OBB site is located in an old elementary school building in Washington Court House. I was struck by the relevance of the saying engraved above the school's main entrance, "Knowledge adorns riches and softens poverty." So, naturally, I snapped a quick cell phone pic...

Much like the three clinics I visited previously, the energy in this room was spirited, but by this time in the afternoon I could tell that counselors and clients were ready to move on to their next weekend activity. I volunteered to help out by working with a couple of clients. I was soon set up in the old prinicpal's office (it is strange what kind of mempory's a principal's office will conjure!). I helped a gentleman who had been laid off a couple of years earlier from a local auto parts manufacturer. His employment outlook wasn't great but he maintained good spirits throughout the appointment, even when he learned that he would owe some money to the State. My next client was a first time tax filer who came in with his mother. I love working with first time filers because the OBB gives such valuable information about taxes and tax filing. The client had to leave because he had forgotten some savings forms, but he scheduled an appointment with a regular counselor at The Well, I am sure he will be back.

It is always such an incredible opportunity for me to get out and see the good work that our OBB sites do in their communities. The enthusiasm of counselors is infectious. The best practices that I pick up and the feedback I get from all involved informs my work as a Regional Coordinator. Please consider calling Heather, Sarah, or myself and inviting us to your next tax clinic or other OBB related event. We won't be able to make it everytime, but we will make an effort to take part whenever possible. Thanks for the great work that you do at your clinics and every other day of the year, keep it up... And, as always, never hesitate to be in touch!

Taxable or Non-Taxable Income?

More help from the IRS for our Ohio Benefit Bank tax sites!  We know most of our counselors are not tax experts, so here is a breakdown to help you visualize different types of income you may see, straight from the IRS.

 

Taxable or Non-Taxable Income? 

Generally, most income you receive is considered taxable but there are situations when certain types of income are partially taxed or not taxed at all.
To help taxpayers understand the differences between taxable and non-taxable income, the Internal Revenue Service offers these common examples of items not included as taxable income:

• Adoption Expense Reimbursements for qualifying expenses
• Child support payments
• Gifts, bequests and inheritances
• Workers' compensation benefits
• Meals and Lodging for the convenience of your employer
• Compensatory Damages awarded for physical injury or physical sickness
• Welfare Benefits
• Cash Rebates from a dealer or manufacturer

Some income may be taxable under certain circumstances, but not taxable in other situations. Examples of items that may or may not be included in your taxable income are:

• Life Insurance If you surrender a life insurance policy for cash, you must include in income any proceeds that are more than the cost of the life insurance policy. Life insurance proceeds, which were paid to you because of the insured person’s death, are not taxable unless the policy was turned over to you for a price.
• Scholarship or Fellowship Grant If you are a candidate for a degree, you can exclude amounts you receive as a qualified scholarship or fellowship. Amounts used for room and board do not qualify.
• Non-cash Income Taxable income may be in a form other than cash. One example of this is bartering, which is an exchange of property or services. The fair market value of goods and services exchanged is fully taxable and must be included as income on Form 1040 of both parties.

All other items—including income such as wages, salaries, tips and unemployment compensation — are fully taxable and must be included in your income unless it is specifically excluded by law.
These examples are not all-inclusive. For more information, see Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income, which can be obtained at http://www.irs.gov or by calling the IRS at 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Link:
Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income

Tax Season Updates (Email Copy)

Hello trusty tax counselors!  I hope you are getting our weekly Tax Season Updates from Cailey Ambrose (cambrose@oashf.org)  If not, you can read this week's update below.  If you would like to be put back on our mailing list please email Cailey so you can recieve important updates straight in your inbox. Tax Season Updates and Acknowledgements: Week Three

Week three dutiful tax season participants: here is the news! First, the tax manuals for 2010 are now available on the Training tab of your counselor portal. If your manual has Tax Guide 2009 on the cover, please recycle it and print out the new guide from the Training tab of your counselor portal! We would like to remind all tax counselors of some important rules about being an Ohio Benefit Bank counselor: 1.     Sites and counselors should never keep a clients' documents (completed return, W2s , social security cards, etc). 2.     Counselors may NOT share login names (Everyone using OBB to file returns or applications MUST attend the appropriate training).   3.     To ensure the highest quality of services, client complaints are investigated. 4.     Finally not complying with the rules above or in the OBB organization agreeement could result in removal as an OBB counselor.  Next Week Check for our Tax Counselor and Site Spotlights! That's all we have for you folks this week. Look for these updates next week and in the weeks to come for more important information about tax season!!

Thank you for all your hard work!! Cailey Ambrose and the Ohio Benefit Bank Team