The United Way of CT estimates roughly 45,000 households in the state are entitled to COVID relief money from 2021 that has gone unclaimed.
The United Way of Connecticut is putting out a call to people who haven’t filed their 2021 tax returns, to do so before next spring, or risk losing out on thousands of dollars in tax credits.
The organization estimates roughly 45,000 households in the state are entitled to COVID relief money from 2021 that has gone unclaimed.
“Earned income tax credit, child tax credit. Each of these, depending on the tax year, can be worth up to thousands of dollars, depending on your family size and your income,” said Amy Casavina Hall, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Development and Communications for the United Way of Connecticut. “Imagine a virtual account with that family's name on it, set aside for them. But after April 15th, it no longer is. It goes other places.”
The deadline to file for these benefits is April 15, 2025. Casavina Hall said the amount depends on family size and income, but could be life changing.
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“This can be really life transforming money, and that's why we and our partners are doing the full court press to make sure we can reach as many people as possible and to let them know, and then be there on the other end to help them file those taxes as quickly and easily as possible.”
She said people might not have filed out of fear they’ll lose their benefits like SNAP or Section 8 housing.
“This isn't counted as income, so it's not going to put you over threshold for income or disqualify you from getting those benefits, so they are available,” she explained. “The IRS says they are owed to you. Let's get them.”
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Juan Berrios is among those helping people get these credits. His non-profit organization, SimplifyCT, offers free income tax preparation for those who are eligible.
“That eligibility guideline, it's typically set by the IRS, and this year it's set at $69,000 of adjusted gross income,” he explained.
Berrios said it’s worth it to file, as a lot of money is out there to be claimed.
“For a household that has three or more dependents, we're looking at upwards to up to $6,500 in earned income tax credit benefits alone. Multiply that by about…I believe it was around 34% from state earned income tax credit, and then, you know, with the child tax credit, again, could be upwards for the three children…between $6,000 to $9,000. So, we're looking at very, very, very large returns for that specific tax year.”
The United Way of Connecticut said filers can work with IRS-certified, free tax preparation services to get their unclaimed cash benefits, by either meeting with Volunteer Income Tax Assistance professionals in person or virtually to file their back taxes for years 2021, 2022 and 2023. Spanish language assistance is also available. Both options are available at ctunitedway.org/getyourrefund.
