Taxes
The Challenge
Tax forms and filing yearly tax returns often confound even native born U.S. citizens. Add to that the difficulty of not speaking or reading English, plus possible trepidation due to documentation issues, and the reasons many immigrants do not file becomes clearer. This gap causes complications and a loss of income for the U.S., as well as opportunities for immigrants to collect refunds and credits. Confusion surrounds issues such as:
- Filing and Immigration status
- Tax laws and procedures
- Availability of Spanish-speaking assistance
Information
This video/DVD helps untangle the confusion that results from language barriers, fear and/or misunderstanding, or simply the complicated nature of tax laws and filing a return. Carlos Lopez, an IRS representative, uses concrete examples to illustrate typical situations, supplying answers to many common tax questions. He also targets special concerns and must-know facts immigrants need when filing in the U.S. The video highlights resources available to Spanish-speaking filers, covering these and other topics:
- Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN’s)
- IRS autonomy
- Common forms (including W7-SP, etc.)
- Exemptions
- Head of Household
- Dependents
- Filing assistance (IRS, community centers, etc.)
Tools
The Internal Revenue Service furnishes multiple resources, in Spanish, that assist with tax-related topics. These can be found in local offices, online, by phone, and even through kiosks available in some locations around the country. A few national organizations also offer tax-related services in Spanish. Each of these has been outlined in a document linked below, along with sources of general information available to Hispanic immigrants. Local and state resources and organizations have been highlighted in the printed resource guide that accompanies the Taxes video/DVD.
For a listing of organizations and sites that furnish general information or assistance to immigrants, or provide assistance in multiple areas, either click here for general resources or you may download an adobe acrobat pdf file of tax resources.
Facilitator's Guide
View the Facilitator’s Guide for the Taxes Title here.
Running Time: 34:00 minutes
To order each of the seven titles, or any combination of multiple titles,
click here:
Education