United Way of California

Approaching the Last Weekend before Taxes are Due Wednesday, July 15: United Ways of California says ‘It’s Not Too Late to Do Your Taxes, Free, with Expert Guidance’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 10, 2020

Contact: Unai Montes, (213) 476-8742, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

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United Way offers free tax filing services as Americans struggle with financial insecurity in the midst of the pandemic

July 10, 2020 (Los Angeles, CA) -- During these especially financially pressing times, United Ways of California is providing a free way to make a stressful task much less difficult. United Ways of California continues to build resiliency and financial security for vulnerable populations and hard-working, lower-income Californians by establishing and amplifying critical resources. Visit MyFreeTaxes.org to get help with tax filings which are due next week, postmarked on or before Wednesday, July 15, to get connected to services that provide free, virtual assistance to those who still need to do their taxes. Additionally, you can text TAXES to 211-211 to get guidance.

While July 15 is the deadline to file a tax return and pay federal taxes, if you don’t request an extension and/or pay by July 15, you may be hit with penalties and interest due on the amount you owe. It is still a good idea to file and pay sooner than later. You can still apply for an additional extension to file federal taxes until October 15 and for California state taxes you have an automatic extension to file the return. If you are getting a refund, the penalty to file is not assessed and you can file and claim a refund for up to three years for the federal and four years for the state from the due date. Several VITA sites, partners, subgrantees, MyFreeTaxes.org will continue to operate until October 15, 2020.

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2020-21 State Budget Deal: CalEITC Coalition Statement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 22, 2020


Contact: Unai Montes-Irueste, Communications Director, United Ways of California, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  
Sumeet Bal, Communications Director, California Immigrant Policy Center, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  
Shimica Gaskins, Executive Director, Children’s Defense Fund California, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 


California Advocates Praise Legislative Leaders on Earned Income Tax Credit Inclusion  for Immigrant Workers with Young Children; Call for Urgent Full Inclusion 


(Los Angeles, CA) – California’s Legislature took a stand for children today by insisting the final state budget deal agreed upon with Governor Newsom includes filers who use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and have children under 6 in the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC). During a time of budget deficits, this win was hard-fought for immigrant workers and families who too often are excluded from the most basic public support. 

Today the CalEITC Advocacy Coalition recognizes the work of so many leaders critical to ensuring this milestone was reached, including community voices, Legislative Budget Leadership, Legislative Caucuses, big-city Mayors, and economic experts. This partial inclusion will reach approximately 32,000 to 46,000 immigrant tax filers and their families – families who are bearing a disproportionate share of COVID-19-related job losses. We cannot overstate the impact that expanding the most powerful poverty-fighting tool will have for families with young children who for too long have been working and paying into a tax system that discriminates against them, simply for the number they use to file taxes. 

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CalEITC Expanded to Include ITIN Tax Filers With Young Children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 23, 2020

Contact: Unai Montes-Irueste, Communications Director, United Ways of California, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 213 476 8742

United Ways of California Praise Governor Newsom and Legislative Leaders for Expanding Earned Income Tax Credit to Immigrant Workers with Young Children; Call for Urgent Full Inclusion
“Great Start, Right Direction, More to Do”

(Los Angeles, CA) – After years of advocacy, especially on behalf of low-income workers, United Ways of California applauds Governor Newsom and the California Legislature for extending the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) to working taxpayers whose households include filers who use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and have young children under 6 years of age. This is a good step, but there is more California needs to do to meet the urgent needs of low-income working families. The expansion agreed to by the Governor and Legislature will reach approximately 32,000 to 46,000 tax filers and their families, leaving out a vast majority of ITIN filers, including over 178,000 children. With income disparities growing throughout the state, California’s advocates have been pushing for an inclusive CalEITC for over five years. Now, with a looming recession, California needs this inclusive policy to protect the state’s nearly 600,000 individuals and their families, who are excluded from federal pandemic support, from falling deeper into poverty, and also to boost spending to help local economies recover.

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Black Lives Matter: Our Collective Commitment to Racial Justice

(Statewide statement on behalf of our network of California United Ways) — Californians from every background and generation are braving a global pandemic to march for racial justice. All across the Golden State, we are saying the names George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many more Black Americans who have been unjustifiably killed by police.
 
California’s United Ways share in the deep sorrow and anger of our neighbors, and we stand in solidarity with those demanding justice and change in order to overcome the continued loss and devaluing of Black lives, rooted in a deeply painful history of violence and police brutality against our communities of color, particularly our Black communities.

United Way’s mission is to fight for the education, health, and financial stability of every person in every community. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be healthy, to learn, and to live with dignity. Our society has an obligation to work to remove barriers for and provide support for all people. We must work for concrete changes in policy and policing to reduce risk to Black and Brown lives. We must fight for equity, recognize that our communities of color deserve more than life, they deserve hopes and dreams, the right to access quality schools, safe and affordable neighborhoods, jobs and careers with economic mobility.

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