Hundreds of low-income Coastsiders get free tax help

Every year, Coastside Hope prepares tax returns for about 300 Coastside families, reports Julia Scott in the County Times. Just under 20% of those are undocumented immigrants, many of whose children are citizens who qualify for tax credits.

Each year, millions of undocumented workers pour money into Social Security with jobs they got using fake Social Security cards. They will never get their money back or receive an Earned Income Tax Credit, said [Coastside Hope volunteer Judy] O’Leary. But choosing to file a tax return each year does guarantee that many low-income immigrant families will earn an Additional Child Tax Credit — up to $1,000 off their taxes per child, depending on the family’s needs.

"The IRS wants people to file, even if they’re illegal," said O’Leary. "It’s a cheap way to get money into the hands of the poor without a lot of administrative oversight."