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Volunteer Tax Preparation Program

Coalitions and Site Managers

Add information about direct deposit, the Go Direct® campaign and the Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® card to asset-building strategies you offer taxpayers

As part of its commitment to asset-building at free tax preparation sites, the Internal Revenue Service is working with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s campaign to encourage taxpayers who receive federal benefit checks to sign up for safer, easier electronic payments. Two Treasury-recommended options are available:

 
  • Direct deposit – Treasury’s Go Direct® campaign gives Americans with bank accounts a fast, easy way to sign up for direct deposit. To sign up, people can call (800) 333-1795, go to www.GoDirect.org, or visit a local bank or credit union.
     
  • Direct Express® card – This Treasury-recommended prepaid debit card provides Americans without bank accounts with a safe, user-friendly option for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. To sign up, or to learn more about Direct Express card features and fees, people can call toll-free (877) 212-9991, go to www.USDirectExpress.com, or visit a local Social Security office.
Switching to an electronic payment method is a positive step taxpayers who get federal benefits can take to improve their financial health. Getting payments electronically, helps protect their money from check theft and fraud, and gives them more control over their money.
 
Over the past three years, thousands of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites in more than 40 states around the country have distributed Go Direct campaign materials, included information about direct deposit and the Go Direct campaign in financial literacy presentations, and helped people sign up for direct deposit onsite. Last year, IRS supported Treasury’s efforts to inform people about the availability of the Direct Express card, which launched in spring 2008. Since then, more than 600,000 Social Security and SSI recipients have signed up for the Direct Express card.
 
What does volunteer tax prep have to do with the Go Direct campaign and the Direct Express card?
 
Each year, millions of people turn to volunteer-run sites for help preparing their taxes. Many of the taxpayers who qualify to use these services also receive Social Security or other federal benefits by paper check. Since taxpayers already have their financial documents on hand, volunteers can easily help them sign up for direct deposit. They can also help Social Security and SSI recipients sign up for the Direct Express card on the spot. It only takes a few minutes. The Direct Express card program does not accept tax refunds at this time.
 
Five great reasons your coalition or site should encourage the use of direct deposit or the Direct Express card for federal benefit payments
 
  1. The Go Direct campaign and the Direct Express card offer a way for VITA and TCE sites to achieve important goals around financial literacy and safety.
  2. Programming for the Go Direct campaign and the Direct Express card is easy to implement and will not take much-needed time away from preparing a quality return. Taxpayers can sign up online, by phone or by filling out a simple paper form.
  3. All Go Direct campaign and Direct Express card materials (fliers, posters, table display cards, videos, etc.) and training tools are free.
  4. Your campaign representative can help recruit financial institutions or community partners for your coalition or site from the Go Direct campaign partner network (in select cities).
  5. Your campaign representative can help with Super Saturday and other special events during tax season by providing materials to hand out.
Next steps

Invite a campaign representative to your next planning meeting or training session. Representatives from around the country will work with you to add information about the Go Direct campaign and the Direct Express card to your VITA and TCE sites:
 
  • Order free materials at www.GoDirect.org and display and distribute them at your site(s).
  • Train volunteers on the basics of direct deposit and the Direct Express card.
  • Work with campaign representatives to help publicize your sites.
Get started now!

Contact your local campaign representative or call the partner line at 952-346-6055. 
 
 

 

Para Español, visite www.DirectoASuCuenta.org. The Go Direct® campaign is sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Federal Reserve Banks. The Go Direct® and Direct Express® logos, Go Direct® and Direct Express® are service marks of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service (used with permission). The Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® card is issued by Comerica Bank, pursuant to a license by MasterCard International Incorporated. MasterCard® and the MasterCard® Brand Mark are registered trademarks of MasterCard International Incorporated.