2015 Boston Tax Help Coalition · 2015-08-03 · 2015 Boston Tax Help Coalition 2 ... 2015 Boston Tax Help Coalition 16 In The Event of a Financial ... What Is The Interest Rate You

2015 BOSTON TAX HELP COALITION

TAXPAYER DATA REPORT

2015 Boston Tax Help Coalition

2

༺ TABLE OF CONTENTS ༻

OVERALL OPERATIONS

OVERALL OPERATIONS …….………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

TAXPAYER DATA

REFUNDS AND CREDITS …….……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4

GEOGRAPHIC

DISTRIBUTION

…….……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5

TAX SITE DISTRIBUTION …….……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6

TAXPAYER SURVEY DATA

DEMOGRAPHICS …….……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7

HOUSING, BENEFITS,

EMPLOYMENT

…….……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10

TAXES AND REFUNDS …….……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 12

BANKING …….……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 14

CREDIT AND

MISCELLANEOUS

…….……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 16


3

21.1

22.822.2

22.8

8.49.8

8.7 8.6

0

5

10

15

20

25

2 0 1 2 2 0 1 3 2 0 1 4 2 0 1 5

DO

LLA

RS

(IN

MIL

LIO

NS)

YEAR

OVERALL OPERATIONS

Total Refunds Total EITC

Overall Operations 27 TAX PREPARATI ON SI TES SERVI NG 12,940 TAXPAYERS

Quick Comparison: 2012-2015 Campaigns

2012 2013 2014 2015

Taxpayers Served 11,208 11,312 11,272 12,940

Total Refunds* $21.1m $22.8m $22.2m $22.8m

Total EITC* $8.4m $9.8m $8.7m $8.6m

Tax Prep Sites 23 25 26 27

Volunteers 440 320 314 325

Credit Advis ing Participants

1,050 1,576 1,477 1,279


4

$- $8,000,000 $16,000,000 $24,000,000

Cre

dits

Ref

und

s

Overall Taxpayer Data

Total Federal Massachusetts

Taxpayer Data REFUNDS AND CREDI TS

Refunds Credits

Total Refunds Total Earned Income Credits

Total Combined Refunds $ 22,842,239.00 Total Combined EIC $ 8,558,143.60

Median Combined Refund $ 1,033.00 Median Combined EIC $ 947.60

Average Combined Refund $ 1,881.56 Average Combined EIC $ 1,902.23

Federal Refund Details Federal Earned Income Credit Details

Total Federal Refunds $ 18,386,354.00

Total Federal EIC $ 7,441,864.00

Median Federal Refund $ 804.00

Median Federal EIC $ 824.00

Average Federal Refund $ 1,569.34 Average Federal EIC $ 1,654.12

Massachusetts Refund Details

Massachusetts Earned Income Credit Details

Total Massachusetts Refunds $ 3,881,966.00

Total Massachusetts EIC $ 1,116,279.60

Median Massachusetts Refund $ 261.00

Median Massachusetts EIC $ 123.60

Average Massachusetts Refund $ 343.69 Average Massachusetts EIC $ 248.12

Average Credit

Total Credit

Elderly Credits $ 154.67 $ 3,712.00

Child Care Credits $ 502.13 $ 183,276.00

Child Tax Credits $ 903.21 $ 927,599.00

Education Credits $ 1137.39 $ 1,054,360.00


5

Taxpayer Data GEOGRAPHI C D I STRI BUTI ON

Frequency Percentage

DORCHESTER 1749 21.17%

MATTAPAN 725 8.77%

ROXBURY 634 7.67%

HYDE PARK 542 6.56%

EAST BOSTON 448 5.42%

BRIGHTON 398 4.82%

JAMAICA PLAIN 393 4.76%

ROSLINDALE 386 4.67%

SOUTH BOSTON 269 3.26%

QUINCY 247 2.99%

ALLSTON 229 2.77%

SPRINGFIELD 176 2.13%

BROCKTON 147 1.78%

WEST ROXBURY 124 1.50%

BROOKLINE 122 1.48%

RANDOLPH 112 1.36%

MALDEN 99 1.20%

CAMBRIDGE 91 1.10%

CHARLESTOWN 90 1.09%

BOSTON (SOUTH END) 82 0.99%

SOMERVILLE 64 0.77%

REVERE 61 0.74%

LYNN 53 0.64%

OTHERS 1022 12.37%

Total 8263 100.00%


6

Taxpayer Data TAX SI TE D I STRI BUTI ON

ABCD Tax Sites Number Percentage Other Tax Sites Number Percent

ABCD Allston Brighton NOC 253 1.96% 1199 SEIU of Boston 975 7.53%

ABCD Dorchester NSC 484 3.74% Allston Brighton APAC 783 6.05%

ABCD East Boston APAC 508 3.93% Allston Brighton Child and Family Services Center

198 1.53%

ABCD Elm Hill FSC 269 2.08% Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center

310 2.40%

ABCD Jamaica Plain APAC 315 2.43% Codman Square Tech Center 1,113 8.60%

ABCD Mattapan FSC 692 5.35% Dorchester House Multi Service Center

1,147 8.86%

ABCD Parker Hill Fenway 442 3.42% FSA/myfreetaxes (Suffolk County)

478 3.69&

ABCD Robert M Coard Building

622 4.81% JVS Partnerships for Careers and Learning

230 1.78%

ABCD South End NSC 549 4.24% Neighborhood of Affordable Housing

92 0.71%

ABCD Southboston APAC 299 2.31% Operation ABLE 140 1.08%

ABCD Southside Headstart 344 2.66% Roxbury Center for Financial Empowerment

1,349 10.43%

ABCD Total 4,777 36.92% Roxbury Community College 389 3.01%

South Boston Resource Center

64 0.49%

Urban Edge Housing Corporation

575 4.44%

Work, Inc. 320 2.47%

Other Sites Total 8,163 63.08%

Total 12,940 100.00%


7

Gender(N=4,847)

Female

Male

Veteran(N=4,702)

Yes

No

Registered to Vote (N=4,699)

Yes

No

12.51% 87.50%

Do You or Any Member of Your Household Have A Disability? (N=4,342)

Yes No

9

2838

14

38

16

45

123

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Nature of Disability

Taxpayer Survey Data DEMOGRAPHI CS


8

440

2533

832

95

540349

186 97

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Race/Ethnicity

2.48%

2.31%

2.91%

6.48%

9.19% 76.62%

English Fluency (N=4,633)

0 (Beginner) 1 2 3 4 5 (Native)

201

909

8540 39

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Chinese Spanish Vietnamese Russian French

Other Than English, What is the Language Spoken in Your Home?


9

Yes , but I don't have enough time

Yes , but I don't have enough money to

cover a l l cost

Yes , but I am not sure in investing in additional education or training will pay off for me

No, I am a ll set

Do You Want to Continue Your Education or Vocational Training? (N=4,700)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

0-8 grades 9-12 grades

(no diploma)High School

grad or GEDSome col lege Associate’s

DegreeBachelor’s

DegreeSome

graduate school

Graduate

Degree

Highest Level of Education


10

329279 305

564

432392

295348

933857

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

0 1-3 4-6 7-9 10-12

NUMBER OF MONTHS

How Many Months Were You Employed Last Year?

Part Time Full Time

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Rent, nosubsidy

Rent,Section 8

Rent,public

housing

Rent, othersubsidy

Living withfamily orfriends

AssistedLiving

Facility

Homeless,in shelter

Homeless,no shelter

Own ahome witha mortgage

Own ahome with

nomortgage

Housing Status

Taxpayer Survey Data HOUSI NG, BENEFI TS & EMPLOYMENT


11

308

1562

132

131

382

245

2615

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000

WIC

SNAP/food stamps

TAFDC

Child Care Vouchers

SSI

SSDI

None

Benefits Received

Lost Homes (N=4,063)

Foreclosure

Eviction

Did Not Lose House


12

Did You File Taxes Last Year? (N=4,713)

Yes

No

Did You Receive a Refund? (N=4,079)

Yes, >$1,000

Yes, <$1,000

No

Don't Remember

1601

264

670

347

520

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Yes, pretty much as Ihad planned

No, I had planned tosave more of my

refund

No, I had planned touse it for somethingelse but ended up

spending most of it onbills

I did not have anyspecific plans for the

refund

I don't remember

If You Received a Refund, Were You Able to Use It As You Intended?

Taxpayer Survey Data TAXES & REFUNDS


13

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500

Other

Save for retirement

Save for college

Pay for college

Home improvement

Go on vacation

Pay down debt

Pay moving expenses

Pay medical bills

Pay bills

Save for emergencies

Car repairs/expenses

Buy a car

Pay child expenses*

Buy groceries

IF YOU GET A TAX REFUND THIS YEAR, WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO WITH THE MONEY?

*(including K-12 school fees)


14

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Checking & Saving Just Checking Just Savings No, but I aminterested in one

No, not interested

Do You Have a Bank Account?

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Overdraftfees

Other fees I don’t trust them

Goes againstmy religious

beliefs

I don’t think I can get an

account

They don’t speak my

language

Locations orhours are

not good forme

Isn’t really worth i t

Other

If You Don't Have Bank Account(s), Why Not?

Taxpayer Survey Data BANKI NG


15

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600

Other

Webster FirstFinancial

Century Bank

Capital One 360

Metro Credit Union

Mass State EmployeesCredit Union

Cathay

Santander

One United

TD Bank

Eastern

East Boston Savings/Mt. Washington

City of Boston Credit Union

Citizens

Citibank

Bank of America

I F Y O U H AV E B AN K AC C O U N T ( S ) , W I T H W H O M D O Y O U B AN K W I T H ?

570 691

3080

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

Yes, once Yes, more thanonce

No

Did You Pay An Overdraft Fee In the Past 12 Months?

314

1315

1076

600 612

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

How Much Money Do You Regularly Keep In Your Account?


16

In The Event of a Financial Hardship, Do You Know Anyone Likely to Loan You $200 or More If You asked? (N=4,346)

No, nobody

Yes, maybe 1-2people

Yes, maybe 3-4people

Yes, maybe 5or more people

Did You Have a Friend or Relative that Borrowed $200 or More From You Because of a Financial Hardship? (N=4,121)

No

Yes, and I expect toget paid back

Yes, and I do notexpect to get paidback

1040 958

668

1818

0

500

1000

1500

2000

Yes, onlyone

Yes, morethan one

No, but Iwant one

No, I don'twant one

Do You Have One or More Credit Cards?

592

852

573

170

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

The full balance More than theminimumpayment

The minimumpayment

Less than theminimumpayment

How Much Do You Usually Pay Each Month On Your Highest Balance Card?

1008

624

167 74381

0

500

1000

1500

Less than$1,000

$1,000 -$5,000

$5,000 -$10,000

Morethan

$10,000

Unsure

What is Your Current Outstanding Balance On All

Credit Cards?

351 379 329262

871

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Less than10%

10%-14.9% 15%-19.9% More than20%

Don'tknow

What Is The Interest Rate You are Charged On Your Credit Card?

Taxpayer Survey Data CREDI T AND MI SCELLANEOUS


17

231341

985

448510

2083

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Medical bills Prescriptions Groceries Utilities Phone Did not have acredit card in thelast year (2014)

Did You Use a Credit Card In the Last Year (2014) For Any of the Following Reasons Because You had No Access to Cash To Pay?

487

186

74

445

12143

744

1887

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Missed acredit cardpayment

Went over thecredit card

limit

Credit limiteddecreased

Credit limitedincreased

Interest ratechanged

Offered acredit card topay a medical

expense

I don’t know Did not have acredit card inthe last year

(2014)

Did You Experience Any of the Following Last Year with Credit Cards?


18

1543

569

2045

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

No Yes, I know butit is not

important forme

Yes, I know andit is important

for me

Do You Know What a Credit Score Is?

280

798

1474

916

440

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Very bad Bad Fair Good Very good

How Would You Rate Your Credit Score?

752

278

242

578

389

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Request it on-line through AnnualCreditReport.com

Request it by mail throughAnnualCreditReport.com

Access it online for a fee

A different method

Through the tax sites

How Do You Get Your Credit Report?

312

668

1474

924

356

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Very easy Easy Neutral Hard Very hard

How Easy Do You Think It Is To Improve Your Credit Score?

1551

746

1003

354

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Never Less thanonce per year

Once peryear

More thanonce per year

How Often Do You Get Your Credit Report?


19

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800

Attend a credit counseling session

Experience a financial crisis

Filed a credit report complaint

Lose a job

Open a checking account

Open a retirement account

Open a savings account

Pay a bill over the internet

Purchase a money order

Purchase a US Savings Bond

Received a court order for debt collection

Received a notice for debt you don’t owe

Received threatening phone calls for debt collection

Take a class on personal finances

Take a loan from a payday lender

Take out a loan from a bank

Use a Check Casher

Use Direct Deposit

Used a pre-paid debit card with fees

Used mobile banking on a smartphone

D U R I N G 2 0 1 4 , D I D Y O U D O AN Y O F T H E F O L L O W I N G ?

237

24

130

449

117 85

395 367

921833

0100200300400500600700800900

1000

WOULD YOU LIKE HELP WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?


20

BOSTON TAX HELP COALI TI ON

43 HAWKINS STREET

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, 02114

WWW.BOSTON TAXHELP.ORG

Documents

2015 Boston Tax Help Coalition · 2015-08-03 · 2015 Boston Tax Help Coalition 2 ... 2015 Boston Tax Help Coalition 16 In The Event of a Financial ... What Is The Interest Rate You