The program, called Tax-Aide, aims to serve the disadvantaged, but is open to everyone. The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii on Bethel Street is one of the Tax-Aide sites. The nonprofit legal corporation primarily handles family and housing litigation, and wants to help parents get the Earned Income Tax Credit. Legal Aid alone has helped more than 75 taxpayers this year, and hopes to assist 300 next year through state funding for outreach. Meanwhile, taxpayers who don't need help but still haven't filed can speed federal income filing by doing it electronically.
Residents can file on the phone, through a paid tax professional or on the Internet.
The state doesn't offer electronic filing yet. Nearly one-third of those in Hawaii who have returned their tax forms used the electronic option this year. That's up from 18 percent last year, typical of growth in most Western states, says Shawn George, IRS regional communications specialist in Seattle. Monday, April 17. Includes service fee.