The Haywood County TAX-AIDE team will once again provide free in-person tax assistance, tax return preparation and electronic filing.

TAX AIDE is sponsored by the AARP Foundation and the Internal Revenue Service. AARP Foundation TAX-AIDE volunteers are trained and IRS-certified each year to ensure they know about and understand the latest changes to the U.S. and North Carolina Tax Codes.

Due to COVID-19, this year’s TAX-AIDE process is designed to reduce in-person contact time, although two client visits are required. On the first visit, an intake interview will be completed and tax documents scanned so that a tax counselor can prepare the return remotely. The second visit, scheduled one week later, will involve a client review and signing of the completed return.

The AARP Foundation TAX-AIDE cannot prepare tax returns that include rental income (except for land), farm or clergy income and self-employment situations that involved a loss or where expenses exceed $35,000.

To ensure that contact during the visits is as short as possible, clients are asked to complete two items in advance of their first appointment — an intake booklet and a consent form required for scanning tax documents. Packets containing the forms, instructions and what to bring to an appointment are available at the Canton and Waynesville libraries, as well as the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) box office, 250 Pigeon St. Online forms with fillable fields are available for download by emailing a request to: haywoodtaxaide@gmail.com; use of online forms requires access to a printer.

Masks are required during the two visits.

Appointments are required for service (no walk-ins), and are available Feb. 1 to April 6, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1-5 p.m.

Call 828-476-9570 Wednesday to Saturday. Callers are asked to leave their name, phone number and a brief message so that a TAX-AIDE volunteer can return the call.