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Good news for tax filers with disabilities!

by Beth

Messy desk with paperwork and computerToday is April 15, which is usually the day Americans need to file their income taxes. This year, however, the deadline is actually April 18. You’ve still got three days!

If you have a disability and haven’t filed yet, here are three things that may encourage you to meet Monday’s deadline:

  1. Free tax preparation services. IRS-trained volunteers provide free service for those who cannot do their own returns or afford paid preparers. More than 500,000 returns prepared free of charge last year were done for people who have disabilities. More information is available on the IRS web site. You can also call 800-906-9887 or download the IRS2Go app for details.
  2. Child care tax credits available to people with disabilities. Child and Dependent Care Expenses is a tax credit often overlooked by people with disabilities. Families usually use this credit when they have children under the age of 13, but as long as one of the spouses filling out the form is working, there is no age limitation if the person being cared for is physically or mentally unable to care for themselves. The IRS says the person being cared for must not be able to dress, clean or feed themselves because of physical or mental disabilities to qualify, and individuals who must have constant attention/care to prevent injury to themselves or others are also considered not able to care for themselves.
  3. Concerns that tax refunds might impact eligibility for other public benefits. People with disabilities sometimes worry that a tax refund will affect their eligibility for Social Security disability benefits, Medicaid and Food Stamps. Here’s the thing, though: tax refunds are not taken into account as income when it comes to determining eligibility for benefits from a federal program and/or any state or local program financed in whole or in part with federal funds.

I gleaned this information from the irs blog. Publication 907, Tax Highlights for Persons with Disabilities, also explains the tax implications of certain disability benefits and other issues. Hundreds of accessible federal tax forms and publications are also available for download from the IRS Accessibility page.

For more information, visit IRS.gov, select the “Forms & Pubs” tab and then the “Accessible” tab to access the accessible forms and publications. You can choose from large-print, text, accessible PDFs, e-Braille or HTML formats that are compatible with screen readers and refreshable Braille displays. The IRS also provides American Sign Language videos with the latest tax information


 

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