The Community Tax Center (CTC) program, a United Way Capital Area funded program of Foundation Communities, began its 4th year of providing FREE Income Tax preparation assistance to Central Texas families on January 22nd. Once again our United Way Capital Area 2-1-1 Helpline is serving as the public point of information and screening for the Tax Centers.
Last year the CTC program filed just over 13,300 returns bringing in $17 Million into our community. Between January and April 2-1-1 handled over 12,000 calls from individuals and families seeking options and education on filing their taxes. This year the CTC program seeks to continue the growth and scope of the program and bring in $20 million in returns and credits.
To give you an idea of a typical day–on February 4th 2-1-1 Team spoke to 953 callers. Just under 400 were calling for information on the Community Tax Centers or rural tax prep options in Central Texas. Almost 80% of these calls were answered in under one minute with an average hold time of less than five seconds. What other call center do you know of where anything approaching that kind of response is delivered on a regular basis?
Consider this: an average return for a Tax Centers client is $3,000. For an average day like last Monday, this means that if all 400 of our tax callers from last Monday are served, that will bring in $1.2 Million into their lives. This is a powerful step toward achieving a positive, measurable impact in the Central Texas community.
And, this is only the beginning of a long tax season, so please join us in a loud and proud “KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK” to the 2-1-1 Helpline crew, and the rest of the 2-1-1 Team who ensures that they have the best information, the most complete training, and ever-present support on every call.