Each year, volunteers spend thousands of hours preparing taxes to return millions of dollars to Colorado families through tax credits and refunds. This is the work of Tax Help Colorado, an IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that provides high-quality, free tax assistance to low- and middle-income Colorado families.

Each tax season, our Tax Help Colorado staff and trained volunteers learn the story behind each family’s 1040 form. This year, Tax Help Colorado served more people than ever before! Keep reading to learn the stories behind the numbers.

→ 11,058 tax returns prepared

Nearly every Tax Help Colorado site statewide increased the number of prepared tax returns, leading to a 13.25% increase from the 2024 tax season! Any family or individual with a 2024 household income of $67,000 or less was eligible to receive free tax preparation services.

“Community volunteers truly are at the heart of what we do. We couldn’t have managed this increase without their support,” said Kristin Hubbard, Tax Help Colorado director.

 → 525 volunteers

More than 500 community members speaking 30 languages volunteered with Tax Help Colorado this year. Our volunteers included a team from AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) who assisted with thousands of returns across our sites.

Anyone can be a tax-certified volunteer! No financial experience is needed, just a desire to serve. It’s never too early to get involved. Learn how you can volunteer with us to help create change for families during the 2026 tax season.

→ $22.5 million returned to Colorado families

This year, many Colorado families saw large tax refunds, thanks in part to Colorado state tax credits. The Family Affordability Tax Credit (worth up to $3,200 per child) and Colorado Child Tax Credit (worth up to $1,200 per child) were fully refundable, often supporting our community’s lowest-earning families.

That included one single mother with seven children who received a refund of $27,000 on her state tax return – a life-changing amount for her and her family made possible through state tax credits aimed at eliminating childhood poverty.

“Colorado has some of the most generous family-focused tax credits, and we are leading the country toward ending childhood poverty through tax credits,” Kristin said.

→ 49 tax sites

This year, Tax Help Colorado hosted and supported tax preparation services at nearly 50 locations from Rifle to Sterling to Lamar.

Tax Help Colorado also expanded its community partnerships, hosting special one-day events with corporate and community partners such as Tigray Community of Colorado and KeyBank for Super Refund Saturday, Gary Community Ventures, JPMorgan Chase and Clayton Early Learning Center.

“Our event with KeyBank in Aurora really highlighted the community need for quality tax preparation and also information,” said Semhal Abbady, Tax Help Colorado senior coordinator. “It didn’t just support the Tigray neighbors who attended the event but also highlighted how we’re just one community there to support each other.”

Volunteer with Tax Help Colorado

Volunteers like you are an essential part of Tax Help Colorado’s mission to serve our community. Volunteer roles include greeters, tax preparers, interpreters and quality reviewers. Each community member contributes to helping families receive the tax credits and refunds they are owed. Learn about the different volunteer roles available and how you can join this important work.