It is slated to be open to the general public in January 2010, but is now available for EITC-Carolinas Partners like the Wake EITC Coalition.  This tool is available early thanks to the Aspen Institute and the National Community Tax Coalition.

The Asset Platform website will allow counselors to receive training and tools to enhance their financial education, coaching and asset development services programs.

We are excited to announce some new tools and features on the EITCplatform website:

NEW On-line Training for Amended Returns. At this point in the tax season, you are likely seeing more customers who need to file an amended tax return. Preparing an amended return is not difficult – but it can be tricky. And many campaigns do not include training on amended returns in their volunteer training curricula. To help meet this need, EITCplatform has developed a brief training module that provides simple step-by-step instructions for preparing an amended return. Just look under the “Training” tab once you log in.
NEW QuickGuide to Stimulus Changes that Impact Tax Sites. We are also launching a new feature called QuickGuides. QuickGuides are easy-to-read summaries of topics important to tax preparation campaigns and asset-building programs. Read or download the first QuickGuide, which summarizes Tax Changes in the 2009 Stimulus Package. It’s got all you need to know in two concise pages. Look for it under the “Tools for Tax Sites” tab.
Discounts on Office Supplies. Also, as you count down to the end of tax season, don’t forget about our group buying discounts on supplies for your site, including anything you might need for those end-of-season celebrations and volunteer recognition events — even cleaning supplies! Remember, the Staples discounts and free shipping are available to any member (and membership is free). Just go to the Group Purchases tab to register.
To access all these resources, log in at www.EITCplatform.org. If you are not already a member, it’s not too late to join! Membership is free, and it’s just a click away.

We’ve heard from many campaigns that quality review training and volunteer management software are making a real difference this year. Congratulations and thanks for making the EITCplatform 1,300 members strong!

Amy Brown
Senior Consultant
Aspen Institute, Economic Opportunities Program

·         2008 TaxWise Online registration Code and Client ID

·         CD that contains third party products and documentation

·         Training CD that contains 100 workshop returns

·         TaxWise Online Reference Guide

These applications contain:

 TaxWise Online 2008 (TWO BLUE):  https://twonline.taxwise.com

·         Create Templates (Master templates have been distributed)

·         Create User Defined History Lists

·         Create User Defined Return Stages

·         Manage Users

 Training TaxWise Online 2008 (TWO GREEN):  https://twonline.taxwise.com/training

·         Create and submit e-files to the Training Electronic Filing Center

·         Any return created in training prior to 11/29 is no longer available

Download the Disability Toolkit [521KB]

The National Community Tax Coalition (NCTC) would like to invite affiliates and programs from across the country to attend the third and fourth web seminars on the EITCplatform.  Please see the descriptions below for information on those web seminars.

Please find the recordings on the first two web seminars (an overview of EITCplatform.org and a demonstration of the volunteer management software) on the NCTC Trainings Page. Information on the fifth and final web seminar will be coming soon.

Web Seminar 3: Self-Prep and the EITCplatform

(Hosted by NCTC, featuring Aspen Institute and One Economy)

Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Time: 2:00 pm EDT, 1:00 pm CDT, 12:00 pm MDT, 11:00 am PDT
Format: Web seminar
Cost: Free of charge

Looking for a way to serve more clients at tax time? EITCplatform.org has teamed up with One Economy to offer to help sites provide facilitated self-preparation (as a companion to volunteer tax preparation) of both federal and state returns as a way to serve more filers, shorten wait times and empower those who are interested in completing their own returns.  Participating organizations will receive software orientation, technical support and data on tax filers who use the program.  The software and support is available at no cost to VITA programs. Please join this webinar to learn more about the EITCplatform and the self-preparation tool.

Thanks to Lucy Gorham of the EITC-Carolinas initiative for forwarding these additional training updates.

This Product Alert contains information about two Special Edition episodes available on TaxWise TV:

The first episode features the Practice Lab available in Link & Learn Taxes and includes a demonstration of this new feature. The second episode features the FY2009 TaxWise Software Training that is being taught in conjunction with Process Based Training. The targeted audience for this combined TaxWise and PBT/Tax Law Training is instructors who will teach volunteers.

To view the TaxWise TV shows. click on the following link: www.taxwisetv.com Review the playlist on the left side for the Sept 30, 2008 episodes then click on the IRS Special Program title for each show shown below:

• Practice Lab on Link & Learn Taxes 
• Process Based Training

The following system requirements are necessary to view the programs with your computer:

• Media Player – If you are not using a recent version of Microsoft Internet Explorer, you may need to install Microsoft Windows Media Player. You should use Windows Media Player 9.0 or higher.
• Browser – The TaxWise TV Site also supports Netscape and Firefox, but is optimized for Internet Explorer 7.0 or later. Presentations are best viewed using a high speed connection such as DSL, Cable etc.

I encourage everyone to take a look at the shows. They provide a good overview of the benefits of the Practice Lab and the TaxWise/PBT Training currently being offered nationwide.