DABC has been diligently and passionately serving our community for over 18 years. Even at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic DABC did not close to the public. We moved our operations outdoors for three tax seasons because we knew how much members of our community rely on their tax refunds and needed assistance in receiving those refunds and the government stimulus payments. We were the only free tax preparation service open for in-person services on a large scale during the first two years of the pandemic, even though we operate on a shoestring budget. For every dollar invested in DABC's tax preparation services, there is a local economic impact of about $35. Please support our organization where the impact of your donation is more than 35 times the amount of the donation!
You can also support the DABC by volunteering with us and helping us meet the enormous community need that exists. Nothing dictates our capacity to do the work we do like the number of volunteers we have on hand. If interested, please apply at https://denverabc.org/volunteer/.
We have thousands of success stories every year, but here are two of our favorites:
In 2022 DABC helped “Laura,” a young, single mother, file her taxes to receive the Child Tax Credit and stimulus payments for her and her child. In previous years, Laura’s mother, who she does not live with and who does not support her, claimed Laura as her dependent and received refunds and stimulus payments that were intended to go to Laura. This year, Laura ultimately received a check for $6,400 ($3,600 for the Child Tax Credit and $2,800 in stimulus funds for her and her child). Laura said that she is using these funds to buy a car so that she can go to work and be able to drive her child to daycare.
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In addition to providing free tax preparation services, DABC is a Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC), meaning that we provide free legal services to taxpayers who are experiencing difficulties with the IRS and the tax system. We help taxpayers resolve their tax debts, get into payment plans, remove tax liens, and represent taxpayers in Tax Court, as well as many other related services.
Recently, DABC’s LITC represented a married couple whose large tax refund for 2020 (over $11,000) was denied because they had to prove that their children lived with them (which they always had) and the husband had to prove some business expenses. DABC worked with this couple over several weeks to resolve this issue, during which time the IRS denied their 2021 refund (over $15,000) for the same reasons. DABC worked with these taxpayers every step of the way to prove that their dependents were properly claimed and to prove the husband’s business expenses so that they could receive these total refund amounts of over $26,000. Without DABC’s help, it is likely that this couple would never have received their rightful refunds which would be financially devastating to their family.
The mission of the Denver Asset Building Coalition is to provide free tax preparation, financial education and other asset-building services in the Denver metro area to help low-income and underserved people become economically self-sufficient. We work with other nonprofits as well as civic, education and business partners to build a coalition of valuable financial services that have a profound effect on people's lives and on our community.
Founded in 2004, DABC provides free tax preparation services to low-income people. We serve more than 6,000 clients and bring in over $10 million dollars in refunds annually, most of which is the Earned Income Credit (EIC) and Child Tax Credit. Additionally, we save our filers an estimated $1.6 million in paid preparer fees, keeping that money in the local economy and in the pockets of our clients.
We work with community partners throughout the multi-county area and break down barriers of service by going to where our clients are and where the needs in the community are greatest. We are located in multiple locations during tax season throughout the Denver metro area.
Our goals are to give people consistent, accurate and knowledgeable service. Our volunteers are experienced tax professionals, and our staff and volunteers alike are dedicated and passionate about our work. We go out of our way to tackle complicated, multi-year problems that no other group like ours will touch, and we are the only free tax site open year-round. People come to see us from all over the state for that reason, and in a normal tax year, we served people from more than 200 Colorado zip codes.
DABC serves individuals earning $35,000 or less, and families earning up to $58,000. During 2022 the average income of our clients is about $23,000 and nearly 80% make less than 50% of the area median income. Additionally, 40% of our clients are over 55; 25% speak a language other than English at home; 10% have disabilities; and nearly 55% identify as a racial minority, a majority of which are Spanish speakers. We provide translation services, and we provide services for people with ITINs, which are provided to non-resident aliens.
Organization name
Denver Asset Building Coalition
other names
DABC
2004
Tax id (EIN)
77-0646873
Category
Community Improvement & Capacity Building, Human Services, Public & Societal Benefit
Address
2475 W 26th AveDenver County, CO, US