Benefits Program: Tax Assistance
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Human-Centered Design 
Tackling the Time Tax: How the Federal Government Is Reducing Burdens to Accessing Critical Benefits and Services: 2024 Edition
OIRA publishes an annual progress report on the burden reduction initiative, summarizing initiatives across all of government, and providing in-depth case studies of various burden reduction efforts, including their impact on individuals, families, and small businesses.
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IRS Direct File Pilot Program Filing Season 2024 After Action Report
The conclusion of the 2024 tax filing season marks the closure of the Direct File pilot, a yearlong effort to study the interest in — and feasibility of — creating a direct e-filing system as a new option for taxpayers to file federal income tax returns.
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Direct File, Integrated State Filing, and FileYourStateTaxes 2024 Findings Report
This report summarizes Code for America's experience and results working with AZ and NY to build FileYourStateTaxes.
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Digitizing Policy + Rules as Code 
Project Snapshot: ACCESS NYC & Benefits Screening API
The NYC Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity (NYC Opportunity) developed the NYC Benefits Platform, including ACCESS NYC, to help residents easily discover and check eligibility for over 80 social programs. This mobile-first, open-source tool uses a simple eligibility screener, reducing access barriers while allowing integration with other city services like MyCity, ensuring efficient access to benefits.
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Digitizing Policy + Rules as Code 
PolicyEngine US GitHub repository
PolicyEngine US is a Python-based microsimulation model of the US tax and benefit system. It models federal individual income taxes (including credits), major benefit programs, and state income taxes (currently in six states). The PolicyEngine US package can be used as a Python package, via the PolicyEngine API, or via the policyengine.org web app.
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Digital Identity 
Code for America and GetYourRefund.org Non-filer Learnings and Recommendations
This report outlines key lessons and recommendations from Code for America's collaboration with the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance program, which served over 800,000 clients via GetYourRefund.org.
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GetYourRefund.Org: Free tax filing, made simple
GetYourRefund.org is an online portal by Code for America that helps low-income individuals claim thousands of dollars in tax credits, even after the traditional tax deadline has passed.
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Improving Public Programs for Low-Income Tax Filers
To inform future efforts to bring more low-income tax filers into the tax system, this report focuses on the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and investigates the challenges and opportunities to better serve the American people and improve the experience of tax filing.
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Expanding Access to Tax Benefits, for Free
United Way Worldwide and New America’s New Practice Lab are currently partnering for a three month design sprint to identify how to make quality, free tax assistance more accessible to low income filers. This report explores how “Facilitated Self-Assistance,” where eligible filers file their own taxes online with assistance provided by IRS volunteers, can help increase accessibility to tax assistance and allow families to access benefits they are owed.
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ACCESS NYC Github
Github page with ACCESS NYC’s code for benefits outreach and eligibility.
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ACCESS NYC
ACCESS NYC is an online public screening tool that residents can use to determine the City, State, and Federal health and human service benefit programs for which they are eligible.
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Youth 
Growing Up NYC
Growing Up NYC is mobile-friendly website that makes it simple for families to learn about and access city programs, as well as services and activities available to New York residents.