Delaware Earned Income Tax Credit EITC Campaign

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Delaware Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Campaign

• Promote awareness of the Earned Income Tax Credit
• Provide free income tax preparation
• Offer savings products to facilitate split
  refunds
• Offer free credit reports and education
• Referrals to state benefits and financial
  education
• Serve 14,000 workers statewide

For more information, call Mary Dupont at
Nehemiah Gateway Community Development
Corporation, 302-655-0803 or send an email to
info_at_eitcdelaware.net
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Results of the DE EITC Campaign

• Coupled with free tax preparation, the tax sites
  have become a one-stop shop for financial
  services.
• Since it started seven years ago
• 2,200 volunteers have assisted 57,000 low
  income taxpayers with free tax preparation in 19
  community based locations statewide.
• Over 79 million in refunds was returned to
  taxpayers
• Almost 13 million was saved by customers in
  tax prep fees
• 1300 savings accounts/CDs were opened through
  PNC, GMAC, WSFS and Artisans Banks
• 100 savings bonds were opened through a
  partnership with the D2D Fund.
• 5500 credit reports and credit education were
  provided onsite and referrals were made to
  partnering housing counseling agencies for credit
  repair.
• 57,000 customers received personal
  presentations and Customer Resource Packets with
  information about community and state services
  that can assist with asset building.

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Tax Services for the Self-Employed The Beginning

• EITC Campaign program operations started in
  2002.
• By 2004, we realized that there was a huge
  demand for
• services by the self-employed, particularly
  childcare
• providers who came to tax sites with shoe
  boxes full of
• receipts.
• We quickly developed program policies and
  procedures
• to manage these self-employed tax customers
• Returns could only be completed by experienced
  tax
• professionals (tax site managers).
• Small business returns would be done by
  appointment
• only.

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2004 - Year round training in taxes and record
keeping -10-part workshop series on business and
personal money management and technology for
childcare providers, certified by the Delaware
Office of Childcare Licensing 2004 Formation
of the Delaware Family Childcare Alliance A
statewide childcare network for the purpose of
advocacy, training, and networking 2005
Increasing outreach to family childcare network
Partner with other small business and financial
education organizations to co-sponsor small
business/ financial education conferences and
business plan competitions 2004 TechnoSave
Providers get a free computer for 20 hours of
business financial education with Nehemiah (short
term IDA) 2007 Childcare Union Research
unionization of family childcare providers
throughout the country 2008 Partner with
AFSCME - Initiate the formation of a childcare
union in the State of Delaware in partnership
with AFSCME. 2008 Continue and expand business
services Provide free tax preparation for 686
small businesses, 80 of whom are childcare
businesses. Results Over 600 tax returns
annually, over 2000 businesses trained in
financial literacy, representation on state
childcare policy bodies, influence the debate on
childcare quality in the state of Delaware, a
force to be reckoned with, an organized
professional network.
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On the Drawing Board

• Financial Service Incubator for Family Childcare
  Providers
• Tax Preparation
• Record Keeping Services
• Retirement Planning
• Retirement Savings
• A comprehensive strategy to support small low
  income micro businesses,
• tailored to specific industry sectors.
• Monthly charges of 25 for record keeping
  services will generate some income
• for the project. It covers all services received
  through the incubator with tax
• preparation continuing under VITA.
• Retirement planning workshops are certified by
  the Delaware Office of
• Childcare Licensing.
• Retirement savings are facilitated by ING Direct
  Bank to be auto debited into
• the IRA.