2024 Tax Preparation Program

For Individuals with Vision Impairment and Blindness

Lighthouse Guild continues to serve people who are visually impaired by aiding with filing their 2024 federal, state and city income tax returns through a partnership with the IRS, the Bethpage Federal Credit Union and Urban Upbound.

Tax agents will be available at Lighthouse Guild (located at 250 West 64th Street) on the following days: 

• – Monday, February 24, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM
• – Tuesday, February 25, 2025,from 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM
• – Wednesday, March 5, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM
• – Thursday, March 6, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM
• – Tuesday, March 18, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM

An appointment is required to reserve time with a tax agent. Appointments are available on a first come, first serve basis. 

To make an appointment, please contact Lighthouse Guild’s Access Center at 646-874-8683, Monday through Friday between 9:30 AM and 5 PM. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment and check in at the Lighthouse Guild Lobby Reception Desk. 

Appointments are limited to 60 minutes. The tax agents will do their best to expedite your return as quickly as possible, but you may experience a brief waiting time. 

Important personal documents that you need to bring with you include:

• – Picture ID for you and your spouse (if filling jointly, both must be present)
• – Social Security card for you and your spouse (if filing jointly) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) documents for you, your spouse, and all dependents.
• – Birthdates for you, your spouse, and all dependents.
• – W-2 forms, (last paystub not accepted)
• – Certificate of legal blindness or letter from your eye care physician to attach to the federal form (If you are filing for the first time, you may obtain a certificate from the New York State Commission for the Blind.)
• – A copy of your 2023 tax returns
• – All 1099-SS forms you received. 
• – All 1099-G forms for unemployment
• – All other forms 1099 received.
• – 1095-A if you purchased health insurance through the marketplace otherwise Form 1095-B or 1095-C.
• – A sample check or bank statement with routing and account number for direct deposit.
  
  To make the best use of your time, please check to see that you have all your items prior to your appointment and before submitting your documents to the intake volunteers or tax agent. It will also help if you arrange your documents in logical groupings.

Self-employed individuals should bring proof of:

• – Gross purchases (dollar value) of items purchased for sale.
• – Gross sales (dollar value) of items SOLD.
• – Gross income for tax year you are filing for (fill out self-employed letter provided by Bethpage FCU or Urban Upbound if you did not receive a 1099 NEC form or 1099 MISC form and kept your own records, we don’t do the bookkeeping)
• – Itemized business expenses with corresponding amounts.

Please note: 

Anyone who has more than $67,000 in income has a large Schedule D (stock market), and/or Schedule E (real estate) transactions, collects rental income, has income earned in Puerto Rico or in a foreign country or capital loss carryover, is not eligible to use the Bethpage FCU or Urban Upbound programs.

We do have select onsite slots for people with income as high as $93,000 without the schedule D and/or Schedule E. If you require these schedules and have income earned outside of the continental United States, or have a capital loss carryover, you should contact an accountant to assist you with your tax return. 

Priority for this service is given to Lighthouse Guild clients and people who are visually impaired or blind. Lighthouse Guild, its employees, and volunteers, are not responsible for any misplaced or lost documents or personal papers.