Benefits Made Easy

Helping Low-income Individuals Move Toward Economic Stability

Benefit Screening and Income Tax Preparation

Through a partnership with the Atlanta Prosperity Campaign and EarnBenefits, a division of SeedCo, individuals are able to receive initial screening for 15 benefits as well as have their federal income taxes prepared at no cost. By taking advantage of these benefits the household is able to:

• Minimize its financial burden
• Make current funds available for other household needs
• Build assets
• Create stability and self-sufficiency

Individuals who are eligible and screened are able to obtain the benefits in a shorter time frame. Read more about how Benefit Screening and utilizing our VITA tax preparation services help to provide and retain vital financial resources to those in need.

 

What is EarnBenefits?

EarnBenefits is a program designed to help you get benefits that can free up your money to handle other bills and costs. EarnBenefits can tell you if you qualify and provides help applying. Best of all, it’s totally free!

What do you need for the screening?

Documents to prove your:

• Identity
• Social Security Number
• Address or Residency
• Citizenship or Immigration Status
• Income
• Resources
• Household Expenses

The Benefits:

Housing and Utilities

• Link-Up Georgia
  Help paying for the installation of a phone line

• LifeLine
  Help paying your local phone bill

Health and Nutrition

• PeachCare for Kids
  Health insurance for children

• Right from the Start Medicaid
  Medical care for pregnant women and children

• Low-Income Medicaid
  Health insurance for adults and families

• WIC
  Nutrition program for pregnant women and children

• Food Stamps
  Help paying for healthy food

• Together RX Access
  Discount card for prescription drugs

Children and Families

• CAPS
  Help paying for child care

• Early Head Start
  Health and child care program for pregnant women, infants and children

• Head Start
  Helps children ages 3 to 5 get an early start to education

• Child Nutrition Program
  Free or reduced-price meals for students at school

• Georgia Pre-Kindergarten
  Free education program for 4-year-olds

• TANF
  Help for families who are going through financial difficulties because they’re out of work or underemployed

• LifeBridge
  Free life insurance program that provides money for your children’s education

Free Tax Preparation

Free help preparing your taxes and claiming tax credits.

Tax Credits

Advance Earned Income Credit (EIC)
Allows you to get the EITC before you file your taxes

• Federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
  Allows families to deduct some of their child- or dependent-care expenses
• Child Tax Credit
  Allows families with children to pay less income taxes

The Society in partnership with the Atlanta Prosperity Campaign, seeks to broaden wealth and reduce economic inequalities for working families in Metro Atlanta. It accomplishes this by connecting low- to moderate-income working families to existing economic benefits available to them, including the two federal benefits that can help the most in lifting a family out of poverty:

EITC

• A tax credit for families who are working but don’t have a high income
• The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Created in 1975 as an antipoverty program, the EITC is a refundable tax credit for individuals earning moderate to low incomes. The EITC not only reduces the amount of federal income taxed owed by a qualifying taxpayer, but if no income taxes are owed, it returns money to the taxpayer in the form of a refund check, thereby supplementing their wages.
• The Food Stamp Program (FSP) Food stamps are actually no longer stamps, but today come in the form of an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that you use like a credit or debit card at your local grocery store to buy food. The amount of money you will receive each month depends on your household size and income.