United Way of Passaic County understands the local economy and is working with individuals, employers and government to create a stronger community. Through our efforts, individuals are seeing success and communities are being impacted by improved financial stability.
More than 75,000 Passaic County residents meet the federal definition of poverty, including 23 percent of the county's children, but in total 51% of all households here do not have enough income to support all the basic necessities of life.
85% of low and moderate income households in Passaic County are spending more than 35% of their income on housing costs alone; while the majority of job demand in Passaic County in the next decade will be for low-skilled, low paid work.
United Way of Passaic County's financial program lifts the economic prospects of low-income individuals and families by providing free tax preparation which helps them maximize their annual tax refunds.
As part of United for Alice's mission to advance the common good of our communities, a task force was created to better understand the families and individuals living and working in New Jersey who are struggling to make ends meet.
This population was brought to life as ALICE – Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (or retired). United Way's volunteer task force gathered data about ALICE so that we can explore the challenges preventing this population from attaining financial independence. You can learn more and review the current data HERE.
In 2025 we:
- Assisted over 2000 low- and moderate-income individuals with their tax preparation.
- 80 volunteers contributed more than 2400 hours of service.
- Generated a $3.7 million dollar impact on our local Passaic County economy
Our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is free income tax preparation by IRS trained and certified volunteers. This program is for individuals or families that make less than $70,000 a year.
We provide free tax preparation services, case management help with enrollment in income supports and financial literacy workshops to increase the financial stability among lower-income working families in Passaic County.
Our goal is to increase the number of families who can meet their basic needs and increase their financial stability.
During tax season, United Way of Passaic County works with community partners and IRS-certified volunteers to offer free Passaic and Bergen Counties tax preparation sites. Beginning each January, we assist low-and-moderate-income households with income tax preparation. The earned income tax credit helps to lift more families out of poverty each year around tax filing season. EIC rewards the working poor and puts money back into the clients' hands, and therefore the community.
Services provided:
- Federal and State Income Tax Preparation
- Assistance with New Jersey Property Tax Reimbursement (Senior Freeze) and Homestead Benefit forms
- Screening and Enrollment for Health Insurance
- Screening and Enrollment for SNAP/WIC/School Meals/Summer EBT
- Referral and assistance with FAFSA
During the 2025 tax season, VITA sites managed by the UWPC completed over 2,000 tax returns for low to moderate income families generating $1,422,937 in total federal refunds for clients. This represents a 10% increase from 2024 services.
Nearly half of the federal refunds these clients received this year were a result of income stabilizing federal credits that could only be accessed through the completion of a tax return.
This includes $427,161 in Earned Income Tax Credit, $187,810 in child tax credit and $74,936 education credit. In addition to federal returns the VITA site completed NJ state returns that generated $517,778 in state refunds, nearly half of which ($220,925) was NJ state earned income tax credit.