NORWICH – With tax season quickly approaching, millions of people across the country will seek help in having their taxes prepared and filed. In Chenango County, the Creating Assets, Savings and Hope (CASH) Coalition is available to help.

For the tenth year, the CASH Coalition is offering free tax filing services for residents of Madison and Chenango County who earned less than $51,000 this tax year. The program – made possible by a collaborative partnership between the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, Upstate Institute at Colgate University and the Chenango County United Way – has benefitted thousands of area residents over the years.

According to Casey Frazee, VITA coordinator for Chenango and Madison counties, hundreds of households took advantage of the program in 2013. Given fiscal changes in many individual’s income or changes in their marital or parental status, hundreds more may qualify this year.

Under the VITA Program, volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals in local communities. These volunteers can inform taxpayers about special tax credits for which they may qualify, including the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and credit for the elderly or the disabled. Electronic filing is able to get residents their tax return in as little as two weeks.