Initiatives + Projects


Tax Time Opportunities to Volunteer and Help Consumers

This webinar promotes opportunities and resources for free tax assistance to low-and moderate-income households and to get more Americans banked during tax season. Panelists from FDIC, Internal Revenue Service, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, Prepare + Prosper, and Sunrise Banks participated in this virtual event.

Tax Time Thursdays

The Center on Budget & Policy Priorities is hosting Tax Time Thursdays every other week throughout the tax season. This learning series will include brief presentations on aspects of EITC outreach and extended time for outreach organizations and groups to ask questions and share their experiences. Presentation topics include peer-to-peer outreach, reaching foster and homeless youth, reaching older adults, and reaching immigrants.

Market Research

Why do people who know about and qualify for free tax prep choose to pay instead? That’s a question we’ve long had and answered with consumer market research we conducted with the help of consultants. We interviewed and followed people as they prepared for tax season. We held a brand debate where people advocated for their preparer—free or paid. We used what we learned to create marketing messages that we tested. Check out what we learned:

Tax-time savings research

As providers of free tax prep, we and our partners in Chicago, Center for Economic Progress, are in a unique position to have honest and authentic conversations with people who trust us with their tax needs. “Moving People to Save at Tax Time” is our contribution to the field about what works in supporting people to save, according to thousands of taxpayers, volunteers, and front-line staff.