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One of my most worthwhile work projects is marketing the Fairfax County CASH (Creating Assets Savings and Hope) program. The program is part of the national Volunteers In Tax Assistance program that helps low income with taxes. I know, it sounds boring — but it is scandalous to me that big tax companies actively market high interest refund anticipation loans to people who can’t afford them and that big tax credits that could amount to thousands in extra refunds are hidden so well that over a quarter of the people eligible to take them don’t. Uncle Sam keeps the money instead of having it go toward groceries, medical bills, health insurance, etc.

Here are some tips on how you can make the most of your taxes even if you don’t make a lot of money.

Five Tax Tips for People Who Don’t Make A Lot of Money

1. You Can Have Your Taxes Prepared for Free if you make less than $39,000 per year. The Volunteers In Tax Assistance program trains and certifies volunteers to help you prepare your taxes and get all the credits and refunds to which you are entitled. Free online filing is also available. Go to irs.gov for more information.

2. Promises of “Instant Refunds” are really just loans. Every January, commercial tax companies run ads for quick refunds based on your paystub (not your W-2). These instant refunds are really very high interest loans (with rates up to 20%).

3. You can get your refund in less than 2 weeks if you use direct deposit. You can even split your refund between your savings and checking accounts.

4. You can give yourself a dollar and hour raise by taking the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is the federal government’s largest anti-poverty program and a quarter of the people eligible don’t claim it. The maximum EITC credit is $4400. The average is $1400 (the equivalent of a dollar an hour raise).

5. You can save money on medical and child care expenses. Flexible spending accounts offered by many employers allow you to set aside up to $5000 per household for medical and child care expenses. This amount you choose is taken from your paycheck (tax free) and put into a special account. You submit receipts and your expenses are reimbursed from your account