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Living Life After 50
Elko Edition REaching ElkhaRt, kosciusko, noblE and lagRangE countiEs
February 2026
Vol. 38, No. 12
www.seniorlifenewspapers.com
WHAT SENIORS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TAX FILING FOR 2026 By ANIKA YODER Feature Writer As tax season approaches there is a lot to keep in mind between which forms to have on hand for filing, itemizing deductions and other considerations. The Elkhart County Council on Aging provides seniors with tax prep services alongside the American Association of Retired Persons. Anyone looking for help with filing can contact the COA which will begin help with filing for seniors on Feb. 11. According to Tina Fraley CEO of the Elkhart County Council on Aging, the council provides all in- person services for seniors for tax filing. All services are free with the COA managing around 600 returns a year. “We have three preparers that will be in service on each of the days, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,” Fraley said. “All services are free. We don’t charge anything for our tax preparation services. If someone’s able to give a donation, of course, that’s always appreciated, but it is not mandatory to receive the services.” According to AARP Tax-Aide District Coordinator for the COA Merritt Lehman, the COA provides volunteers to schedule filing appointments as well as the utilities needed for secure information handling. Under the Tax-Aide program, there are only two locations in the county according to Lehman that offer free tax services which include the COA, and Greencroft in Goshen. Grace College is another facilitator for seniors needing tax prep services. According to Danielle Duff, assistant professor of accounting for Grace College, those looking for tax prep services that have a household income lower than $67,000
READY FOR TAX TIME — Grace College accounting students will be on hand to assist seniors in preparing their tax documents this year. Shown is Janice Koontz, left, one of Grace College’s
can find help at the Manahan Orthopedic Capital Center in Winona Lake. Duff is the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program coordinator which is sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS provides the software needed to conduct returns. As a VITA site coordinator, Duff works as a go-between for volunteers and community members looking for tax prep services. The services offered are free with the program attempting to aim for lower income and elderly individuals
who might not be able to afford to pay for tax prep according to Duff. “VITA is that IRS sponsored program, and they kind of partner with organizations like colleges, churches, libraries, whatnot, all across the U.S.,” Duff said. “So it’s not just like Indiana by any means. Grace College is one of those sites that it partners with. And we also partner with Goodwill of Michigan. That’s another kind of community organization that helps us be able to get grants to fund the, fund the operations.”
annual clients with Alexis Bergman, a graduate of Grace College. Grace offers “curbside” service, which allows seniors to drop off their documents and come back later once their return is complete.
According to Duff, something for seniors to keep in mind is that this year, VITA will be requiring electronic refunds as opposed to a physical refund check. The state of Indiana has not changed its standard deduction for about 30 years according to Lehman with the standard deduction for seniors being $2,500. “The standard deduction increases with inflation, that has happened since about 1970 with federal taxes. But the state of Indiana. I don’t think they’ve changed their standard
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deduction for 30 years or so,” Lehman said. “I’ve actually talked to my state representative about it. I think they should index it with inflation. They have not. But anyway, for seniors, $2,500 is a standard deduction. And which is not very much. So Indiana residents pay taxes on almost all of their income.” Those looking for tax prep services for Elkhart and Kosciusko counties can contact the Elkhart COA as well as Grace College for scheduling filing appointments.
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