What is the CA$H Coalition?
CA$H, which stands for Creating Assets, Savings and Hope, brings together human service organizations, financial institutions, the IRS, volunteers, and others to tackle the issue of poverty and its impact on local families by providing financial literacy resources and free tax return preparation services through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.
The CA$H Coalition of the Greater Capital Region covers seven counties: Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Schoharie.
United Way's Role
United Way of the Greater Capital Region is the fiduciary of the CA$H Coalition. The goal of this partnership is to help individuals and families achieve financial stability, which also strengthens our communities and local economy.
Impact of the CA$H Coalition in our community
IN 2020, THE CA$H COALITION OF THE GCR WAS ABLE TO:
- Prepare 4,000 tax returns by 105 Volunteers
- Returned $1,230,926 to families and individuals in the Capital Region
- Returned $859,993 in unpaid stimulus money
- Returned $997,373 in Child Tax Credits
IN 2019, THE CA$H COALITION OF THE GCR WAS ABLE TO:
- Prepare 15,779 tax returns by 289 Volunteers with over 11,000 hours
- Return $20.6M to families and individuals in the Capital Region
- Have $4.5M in EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) returned to working families & individuals
- Save $4M in tax prep fees
IN 2018, THE CA$H COALITION OF THE GCR WAS ABLE TO:
- Prepare 14,852 tax returns by 262 Volunteers with over 10,000 hours
- Return $20.6M to families and individuals in the Capital Region
- Have $5.4M in EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) returned to working families & individuals
- Save $3M in tax prep fees
From the 2017 Tax Season, the CA$H Coalition helped the Capital Region get back nearly $15 million.
Returns Prepared Total Refund EITC refunds
Albany 4,012
Rensselaer 2,265
Saratoga 1,565
Schenectady 827 $1.7 million $616,558
Schoharie 404