Looking for free tax help in San Francisco? Here is a list of free tax help available in San Francisco, California.
- Free Tax Help – City and County of San Francisco. This government-based service partners with the United Way Bay Area to offer free tax preparation services to low-to-moderate income individuals and families. Tax returns are prepared by IRS-certified experts at select HSA service centers and local community organizations. Last year, the effort helped more than 11,000 San Franciscans get back $1,500 on their tax returns (on average) for free!
- MEDA (Mission Economic Development Agency). MEDA is now a VITA site free tax preparation program in the San Francisco Bay Area. The site serves low- and moderate-income families in the San Francisco Bay Area by providing free year-round tax return preparation as well as benefits screening and assessment for other related services. It’s also a multilanguage service, offering not only English but also Spanish-language services.
- Tax Aid. Located at 55 New Montgomery in San Francisco, Tax Aid is yet another service that provides year-round free tax services in San Francisco. It is also multilingual with English, Spanish, and Chinese to name just a few of the languages supported. It also works with Turbo Tax on the Turbo Tax Freedom Edition, which is a free software program for families that are low to moderate income. Interestingly, it also provides financial coaching which helps folks prepare, financially, throughout the year. Information here.
- Earn It! Keep it! Save It! – This service helps folks find tax preparation services that are free or very inexpensive. Besides the great name, it provides free tax preparation to low- to moderate-income individuals, families, and seniors. Tax returns are prepared by trained and IRS-certified volunteers at local community organizations. They’re eager for volunteers, so if you’re a tax professional here in San Francisco, check out the Volunteer Outreach kit, here.
More Free Tax Help in San Francisco
Those are just four great options if you’re looking for free tax help in San Francisco. But there are others, more specialized options, too. The Women’s Building, for example, offers tax services. The Women’s Building is an anchor institution in San Francisco’s ever-changing Mission District, welcoming 25,000 clients and visitors each year. They come to use our in-house programs and gain access to social services, attend workshops and meetings, take wellness classes, volunteer, hold celebrations, and deepen their community connections. There are also online opportunities for free tax help. For example, the IRS offers a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program where you can enter your Zip code and find nearby tax preparation help that is free or very low cost. Older Americans can use the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide locator at https://secure.aarp.org/applications/VMISLocator/searchTaxAideLocations.action. The AARP, of course, is dedicated to advocacy for older Americans. And, returning to the IRS website, there are Low Income Taxpayer Clinics across the country, not just in San Francisco, Oakland, or Marin County of course. Military personnel can also avail themselves of the Miltary OneSource.
IRS Tax Help in San Francisco
Finally, the IRS has in-person help available in San Francisco. First, check out how to contact your local office in California, here. You can do a lot over the phone, but of course call in early as the phone lines can get very busy the closer we get to tax season. The office is located at 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, California. Or call in to 844-545-5640 to make an appointment or 415-553-8990 to make an appointment.
