Programs Offer Help Preparing Tax Returns

Free income tax assistance is being offered to Orange County residents by two groups catering to low-income families, senior citizens, non-English speakers and the physically challenged.

Last year, the two programs--Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly--assisted more than 185,000 people in Southern California, according to officials at the Internal Revenue Service.

Program volunteers are trained by the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board.

For more information, visit the IRS Web site at https://www.irs.gov (then click “IRS Newsstand,” then “News From Around the Nation,” then “California”), or call the IRS at (800) 829-1040, the Franchise Tax Board at (800) 852-5711, or the American Assn. of Retired Persons at (888) AARPNOW.