Skip to main content
Vermontʼs Legal Help Website
Vermont Legal Aid and Legal Services Vermont logos
Legal Help Tool
Site Menu

Flood information | Language help

  1. Home
  2. Money / Debt
  3. Taxes

Tax Tips

News: Past tax credits you can still apply for!

Keep your tax refund. Don’t give it away!

A lot of people would like to have part of your tax refund. Be smart and keep all of it for yourself and your family.

Here are seven tips to help you:

  • decide if you should file a tax return
  • hold onto your hard-earned money
  • get tax filing help, and
  • get the credits you qualify for.
Tip 1: Should I File a Tax Return?


Most people file a tax return because they have to, but even if you don’t, there are times when you should. You may be eligible for a tax refund that you don’t know about. Here are 6 tips to help you find out if you should file a tax return:

  1. General Filing Rules. In most cases, the amount of your income, your filing status and your age determine if you must file a tax return. Special rules apply if you’re self-employed or if you’re a dependent of another person. There are also other cases when you must file. Go to IRS.gov/filing to find out if you need to file.
     
  2. Premium Tax Credit. If you enrolled in health insurance through Vermont Health Connect, you may be eligible for the premium tax credit. You will need to file a return to claim the credit. If you chose to have advance payments of the premium tax credit sent directly to your insurer you must file a federal tax return. You will reconcile any advance payments with the allowable premium tax credit. You should receive Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, by early February. The form will have information that will help you file your tax return.
     
  3. Tax Withheld or Paid. Did your employer withhold federal income tax from your pay? Did you make estimated tax payments? Did you overpay last year? Was it applied to pay this year’s tax? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you could be due a refund. But you have to file a tax return to get it.
     
  4. Earned Income Tax Credit. Did you work last year? You could receive EITC as a tax refund, if you qualify. You do not have to have a qualifying child. You may be eligible for more than $6,000. Use the EITC Assistant tool on IRS.gov to find out if you qualify. If you do, file a tax return to claim it.
     
  5. Additional Child Tax Credit. Do you have at least one child that qualifies for the Child Tax Credit? If you don’t get the full credit amount, you may qualify for the Additional Child Tax Credit.
     
  6. American Opportunity Tax Credit. The AOTC is available for four years of post secondary education and can be up to $2,500 per eligible student. You, your spouse or your dependent must have been a student enrolled at least half time for at least one academic period. Even if you don’t owe any taxes, you still may qualify. You must complete Form 8863, Education Credits, and file it with your return to claim the credit. Use the Interactive Tax Assistant tool on IRS.gov to see if you can claim the credit. Learn more by visiting the IRS’ Education Credits Web page.

The instructions for Form 1040 lists income tax filing requirements. You can also use the Interactive Tax Assistant tool on IRS.gov. Look for “Do I need to file a return?” under general topics to see if you need to file. The tool is available 24/7 to answer many tax questions. Each and every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights they should be aware of when dealing with the IRS. These are your Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Explore your rights and our obligations to protect them on IRS.gov.

More IRS Resources:

  • The Premium Tax Credit
  • Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit (PTC)
  • Publication 972, Child Tax Credit

IRS YouTube Videos:

  • Education Tax Credits - English
  • ASL: Education Tax Credits (Captions & Audio)
Tip 2: Say No to Rapid Refunds

Have you seen the ads for “instant money,” “rapid refunds” or “electronic refund advances”? These tax services often take a large part of your tax refund. Don't be fooled by flashy ads!

What do these tax service companies really offer? They give you a very expensive loan. The interest rate on the loan can cost you from 173% to more than 200% interest per year!

There are other problems with these loans. What happens if the tax preparer makes a mistake? What happens if the IRS withholds your refund? You still have to repay interest on the loan you got from the tax service company.

You'll get more of your tax money if you wait for the IRS to give you your refund check in the normal time. Usually, it only takes 2 to 4 weeks to get your refund. E-filing (filing online) is even faster – if you e-file, you will usually get your refund in 7 to 10 days.

Why pay a company hundreds of dollars for a “rapid refund”? The “rapid refund" will only get to you a few days earlier – and your refund will be a lot less money! Why not save those hundreds of dollars for yourself and your family?

Learn more about:

  • Tracking your tax refund
  • E-filing for free or getting free help to file your taxes
Tip 3: Get Free Tax Filing Help


Qualified volunteers offer free tax filing help to low- and moderate-income Vermonters.

Learn more about free tax filing help.

Tip 4: File for Free Online

Explore your options with IRS Free File and Vermont Free File. Learn more about these free file programs.

Tip 5: Claim All Tax Credits You Qualify For


These tax credits can be very helpful to low-income taxpayers:

  • Earned Income Credit (EIC)
  • Child Tax Credit
  • Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
  • Educational Tax Credits
  • Renter Credit
  • Property Tax Credit

Learn more on our Tax Credits You Should Know About page.

Tip 6: Say No to Tax Scammers


Did you receive an e-mail or phone call from the IRS asking for your personal information? Watch out! Those may be scams.

The IRS usually sends official correspondence to you by US Mail.

Learn more about how to spot a scam and how to protect yourself by watching this video from the IRS.

Tip 7: File on Time


You should file your tax return on time, even if you can't pay the taxes you owe. The penalty for filing late is more than the penalty for paying late. Read 10 facts you should know about tax penalties to find out about how much it can cost you to file or pay late.

More Resources from the IRS


IRS Tax Information for Individuals
IRS web page with helpful tax information

Free Tax Help Available
Information about free tax help programs and what to bring with you to a help session

Choosing a Tax Return Preparer
IRS Tips for to help you find a tax preparer you can trust and avoid the ones you can’t.

Original Source: Pine Tree Legal Assistance
Edited and updated by VTLawHelp.org

  • Print

News

Family Law Clinic on June 3, By Appointment Only
3SquaresVT Scam Alert!
VLA Co-Hosts a Monthly BIPOC Legal Aid Clinic
Tax-Time Tips: Get Tax Credits ($$), Find Tax-Filing Help, and File On Time
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees
More News
Emergency housing
Free Legal Advice Clinic for Emergency Housing Issues

More Help

How We Can Help – Contact Us

Forms You Can Use

Help From Other Vermont Lawyers:

  • Ask legal questions through Vermont’s Free Legal Answers program
  • Vermont Bar Association lawyer referral
  • VT Association for Justice lawyer referral
  • Criminal Public Defenders

Legal Help for Active Military, Veterans & Their Families

Legal Problem in Another State

Quick Links

  • Home
  • How We Can Help - Contact Us
  • Locations
  • Legal Help Tool
  • Legal Roadmaps
  • VTCourtForms
  • Other Forms You Can Use
  • COVID Legal + Benefits Info
  • Website + SMS Privacy
  • Accessibility
  • PDFs and Adobe Reader

Language Help

  • American Sign Language
  • العربية / Arabic
  • Bosanski / Bosnian
  • မြန်မာစာ / Burmese
  • دری / Dari
  • Español / Spanish
  • Français / French
  • Ikirundi / Kirundi
  • Kiswahili / Swahili
  • Mai-Mai / Maay Maay
  • 官話 / 官话 / Mandarin
  • नेपाली / Nepali
  • پښتو / Pashto
  • Soomaali / Somali
  • українська мова / Ukrainian
  • Tiếng Việt / Vietnamese
  • Google Translate

About This Website

VTLawHelp.org is a joint project of Vermont Legal Aid and Legal Services Vermont — Working Together for Justice.

Vermont Legal Aid Legal Services Vermont

LSC - Legal Services Corporation - America’s Partner for Equal Justice

Funding from the Legal Services Corporation.

© 2025 Legal Services Vermont and Vermont Legal Aid. All Rights Reserved.

Website Feedback Form