Free tax help is available at Highline via a joint program between the college and United Way of King County. 

Tax help is available Mondays and Thursdays from 4-8 p.m. in Building 1 on the south side of campus. 

“This service is open to the public, we want to make sure it’s offered during times when many people are not busy at work or in school. The schedule is Mondays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.,” said Sue Lasseson, Highline Benefits Hub coach. 

The tax site is open until April 21. 

More volunteers are needed, said Lassenson. 

“We currently have one volunteer, and we don’t know how we are going to manage the flow as we expect more people to come soon,” she said. 

Volunteers have to be at least 18. 

“Volunteers are trained and IRS certified by United Way of King County staff. Certified volunteers provide high-quality tax assistance to community members across tax clinics in King County. The Free Tax Preparation Campaign is part of a nationwide VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program. We connect families to Earned Income Tax Credit — one of the most effective anti-poverty tools – and Advance Child Tax Credit,” Lassenson said. 

Lassenson said that usage of the site increased greatly with the advent of the Benefits Hub program in 2017. 

“Highline was considered an underutilized site. Once we launched our Benefits Hub program, we created a campus awareness campaign. In 2017 we completed 609 tax returns. We also moved the service to Building 1 so that it would be more accessible to students and the community,” she said. 

“This program has been super successful. Not only do we help people with their current taxes, but if someone hasn’t completed taxes in the last 3 years, we can assist them to get caught up at no cost. People trust this service because it’s been around for decades, and we also provide a table with other helpful information for people to be aware of,” Lassenson said.

The free service is good for anyone who worries about doing their taxes on their own, Lassenson said. 

“Many people feel confident doing their taxes on their own. But many people in our community feel more comfortable when a trained professional completes their important tax paperwork. People end up paying $100-$300 to get this requirement done and oftentimes that fee is taken out of their return,” she said. 

“The last time we held this service on campus was in 2020 and we processed $465,184 worth of returns for our community. And we are proud to say that we passed our audit with 100 percent,” she said.