Free tax help for Chicago residents

IRS Filing and Payment Deadline Extended to July 15, 2020 – Updated Statement

For tax year 2020, the filing deadline for Illinois income tax returns has been extended from April 15, 2021 to May 17, 2021. For more information, see Bulletin FY 2021-16.

Every year there is free tax help available at the Chicago Public Library. This year it is available from the same organization, Ladder Up, but the procedure is different. Ladder Up is now operating Drop-off Tax Services only and will require everyone to have an appointment prior to entering a location. Click Here to Make an Appointment Today or call (312) 588-6900.

When: Beginning January 25, 2021. Taxes are due April 15, 2021. Appointments are available Monday – Friday: 9am-5pm; Saturday: 9am-2:30pm.

Where: River North (Downtown Chicago) – 350 W Wolf Point Plaza. Suite C2-100, Chicago, IL 60654

Free tax help for Chicago residents – You must make an appointment

Ladder Up is now operating Drop-off Tax Services only and will require everyone to have an appointment prior to entering a location. Click Here to Make an Appointment Today or call (312) 588-6900.

Pick up your Intake Packet at your local site and fill it out before your appointment, if possible.
At your appointment, work with a volunteer to complete any questions you are unsure of during intake process.
The volunteer will scan your tax documents to allow Ladder Up tax volunteers to prepare and review your return completely virtual – you will not need to wait at the site for your return to be prepared
If you do not have access to email, make a follow-up appointment to visit the Drop-Off site to pick up and review your completed tax return or you can ask that we email your return to you and go over it with you over the phone.

Refer to the “Eligibility and What to Bring” to make sure you have all your documents and are eligible for free services.

If you do not qualify for free tax help

You may be eligible to file your taxes for free using TurboTax or H&R Block software: http://www.goladderup.org/freefile
If you choose to use a commercial preparer, make sure you know your rights: Taxpayer Bills of Rights
Search the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers: http://irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf

• Download 2021 Tax Prep Chicago Flyer (English)
• Download 2021 Tax Prep Chicago Flyer (Spanish)