AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is the largest, volunteer tax preparation program funded by the IRS. We provide free tax help for taxpayers of all ages and income. AARP membership is not required. 

Our tax counselors have been extensively trained and are IRS-certified. We can prepare and e-file your U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040 for free. We can also e-file Washington Working Families Tax Credit applications for eligible taxpayers.

This tax season, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers will be available at seven sites in Thurston County. To find a site near you, please visit Our Locations page. 

To get assistance, taxpayers must schedule an appointment. We will only accept walk-ins if an appointment slot is available and you arrive at least one hour before closing time. If no appointment slot is available, we will schedule an appointment for you for a later date.

Before making an appointment, we strongly recommend that you first review our Pre-Appointment Packet to see what limits there are on the types of returns we can prepare and what documents you must complete and bring with you to your appointment  before we can help you. You may also want to visit our Learn More page.

We will begin taking appointments on January 13, 2025. Our counselors will be available from late January through April 15, 2025. You must make a separate appointment for each tax return you want us to prepare. 

There are three ways to make an appointment: 

1. Call our Appointment Line at 360-347-6276 and leave your contact information;

2. Make an appointment on our Online Appointments page; or 

3. Walk into one of our sites during open hours. 

If you leave a message on our Appointment Line, one of our volunteers will call you back within 3 business days. Your caller ID will show (617)675-4444 when we call. Please add this number to your phone contacts under Tax-Aide. If you screen your calls and do not accept our call, we will not be able to schedule an appointment for you.

Remember, you must pick up one of our Pre-Appointment Packets at one of our Tax-Aide sites or download one here before your appointment. This document provides important information about our services, how to prepare for your appointment, when to arrive, and describes what types of returns we can prepare. Most importantly, it includes the forms that you must complete prior to your appointment and has a list of all the documents we need to prepare your return.

When booking your appointment, please choose a date by which you are confident that you will be able to (1) download a Pre-Appointment Packet or pick one up from one of our sites; (2) fill out and sign our Intake Booklet and complete any applicable worksheets; and (3) have in your possession all the documents we need to prepare your return.

If you expect to receive a years-end  Brokers Statement, we recommend that you book your appointment for mid to late March. If you plan to claim a refundable credit such as the Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit, the IRS will not process your return before mid February so there is no need to file your return before then.

Please note that your appointment time is just our best estimate of when a counselor will be available to prepare your return. Some returns take longer to prepare, so please be patient. Our volunteers do their best to minimize your waiting time.