Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/261964
For nearly 40 years, the Earned Income Tax Credit has been helping low- to moderate- income workers by giv- ing them a boost to their income. Four out of five eligible workers claim EITC, but the IRS wants every eligible worker to claim and get this cred- it. Here are some things the IRS wants you to know about this impor- tant credit: Review your eligibil- ity. If you worked and earned under $51,567, you may be eligible for EITC. If your financial or family situation has changed, you should review the EITC eligi- bility rules. You might qualify for EITC this year even if you didn't in the past. Workers who qualify for EITC must file a federal income tax return and specifically claim the credit to get it, even if they do not have a requirement to file a return. Know the rules. Before claiming EITC, you need to understand the rules to be sure you qualify. It's important to get it and get it right. There are several fac- tors to consider: • Your filing status can't be Married Filing Separately. • You must have a valid Social Security number for yourself, your spouse if married, and any qualifying child listed on your tax return. • You must have earned income. Earned income includes earn- ings such as wages, self-employment and farm income. • You may be married or single, with or with- out children to qualify. If you don't have chil- dren, you must also meet age, residency and dependency rules. • If you are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces serving in a combat zone, special rules apply. Lower your tax or get a refund. The EITC reduces your federal tax and could result in a refund. If you qualify, the credit could be worth up to $6,044. The average credit was $2,355 last year. Use free services. Don't guess about your EITC eligibility. Use the EITC Assistant tool . on IRS.gov. The tool helps you find out if you qualify and will estimate the amount of your EITC. The best way to file your return to claim EITC is to use IRS Free File. Free brand-name software will figure your taxes and EITC for you. Com- bining e-file with direct deposit is the fastest and safest way to get your refund. Free File is available exclusively on IRS.gov/freefile. Free help preparing and e-fil- ing your return to claim your EITC is also avail- able at thousands of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites around the country. If you are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces serving in a combat zone, special rules apply. For more information, see IRS Publication 596, Earned Income Credit. It's available in English and Spanish on IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX- FORM (800-829- 3676). I bet you are the sort of per- son who is excellent in a pinch. If you hear that some- thing tragic happens in the c o m m u n i t y , you are there in an instant to help in some important way. You may donate time, money, food, or do whatever it takes to help in the immediacy after a tragedy. You are set on fire to be of service when something goes down. If given a review of your triage skills, you would receive well above an 8. You may be a leader who spearheads support or you may be a reliable resource who donates as much as you can to be part of the solution. Good for you. My question is, how well do you do in the aftermath? Long after the death, the charred ruins are cooled off, the flood waters have receded, the media frenzy has died down and the spot light has been turned off, are you still in the thick of things? Do you still feel as connected to your sense of urgency to be of sup- port and service? When you hear about a tragedy in the community, the nation or the world do you jump at the chance to get in and help, yet resist the thought to stay and help long after the immediacy is past? Does the fact that someone's loss becomes replaced by someone else's newer loss supersede the previous need? Helping one another, being there, offering support is noble, important and helps the afflicted cope with their issue. Be sure you stay connected for the long haul. In the moment, when the issue is new and raw, people are often in a state of shock and disbelief. It isn't until much later that the loss envelopes them and they need you more than ever. Check in on the widow and make sure they know you remain available for them. Take the parent who lost their child to lunch and offer a stable, listening ear for their pain. Connect with the ones who lost everything in an instant and see what they need that could make all the difference now that they know what they have truly lost. Everyone loves to help. Everyone is at the ready to muster and shine in the time of need, but the need doesn't evaporate quickly. The true testimo- ny of being in service is to stick with a person, situation or event through it's entirety. Long after the adrena- line, shock and awe of the situation are over. God places in each of us a sense of compassion for others. What tugs at your heart is specially there for you to be of service to certain types of people in certain situations. One man's impulse is different than another. That is how there is enough to go around. Your passion to help hurting children is different than someone else's passion to help hurt- ing animals. Your ability to run into an accident and comfort someone who is dying and never see the blood is different than someone else's abili- ty to hold the hand of a hospice patient as they take their last breath. I submit to you the idea that there are hurting people in your sphere of influence who need you. People whom the community identified, usually by the media, as having suf- fered loss and they may still be suf- fering. Don't forget that they are there. Don't pass up the opportunity to reach out, connect and be a light to them in their forgotten darkness. Faydra Rector, MA is a mental health administrator, author, public speaker, educator and life coach who lives in Red Bluff. She can be reached at lifecoach@shasta.com or view her blogs at faydraandcompany.blogspot.com/ and allaboutdivorce.blogspot.com/. 3A Tuesday, February 18, 2014 – Daily News THE VOICE OF TEHAMA COUNTY SINCE 1885 Editor: Chip Thompson editor@redbluffdailynews.com Sports Editor: Andre Byik sports@redbluffdailynews.com Circulation Manager: Kathy Hogan khogan@redbluffdailynews.com Production Manager: Sandy Valdivia sandy@redbluffdailynews.com On the Web: www.redbluffdailynews.com MAIN OFFICE: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Main Phone (530) 527-2151 Outside area (800) 479-6397 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080 ______________________ Mail: Red Bluff Daily News P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Fax: (530) 527-5774 ______________________ CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT: Subscription & delivery Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (530) 527-2151, Ext. 126 Home delivery subscription rates (All prices include all applicable taxes) Tuesday through Saturday $4.48 per week Business & professional rate $2.19 four weeks, Tuesday-Friday By mail: In Tehama County $12.20 four weeks All others $17.29 four weeks (USPS 458-200) Published Tuesday through Saturday except Sunday & Monday, by California Newspaper Partnership. NEWS News Tip Hotline: 527-2153 FAX: (530) 527-9251 E-mail: clerk@redbluffdailynews.com Daytime: (530) 527-2151 Sports: Ext. 111 Obituaries: Ext. 101 E-mail: dispatch@redbluffdailynews.com After hours: (530) 527-2153 ______________________ ADVERTISING DEPT. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Display: (530) 527-2151 Ext. 122 Online (530) 527-2151 Ext. 133 FAX: (530) 527-5774 E-mail: advertise@redbluffdailynews.com CLASSIFIED: 1-855-667-2255 VOLUME 129, NUMBER 63 The Red Bluff Daily News is an adjudicated daily newspaper of general circulation, County of Tehama, Superior Court Decree 9670, May 25, 1955 © 2012 Daily News N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY SPECIAL PAGES ON THE FOLLOWING DAYS Tuesdays: Health Wednesdays: Business Thursdays: Entertainment Fridays: Education Saturdays: Select TV, Farm, Religion HOW TO REACH US Publisher & Advertising Director: Greg Stevens gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Postage Paid Periodicals POSTMASTER SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: PO BOX 220, RED BLUFF CA 96080 HAD A SMASHING WEEK? 530.527.2649 We understand you have a choice and thank you for choosing us as Tehama County's BEST Body Shop since 1950 705 Mill Street (Next To Walmart) Red Bluff, CA 96080 WE WILL STRAIGHTEN IT OUT. or visit www.evergreenusd.org for additional information Evergeen Elementary and Bend Elementary 530-347-3411 X7520 To schedule an appointment, please call are now pre-registering students for Preschool, Transitional-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten for the 2014-2015 school year. ALWAYS THE RIGHT TIRE ALWAYS THE RIGHT PRICE 1375 Montgomery Rd. Red Bluff, CA T: 530 529-0797 Parties - Corporate Events Reunions - Private Events Rehearsal Dinners 604 Main St, Red Bluff Call 529-5154 for more information Willard and Miss Duncan in car wreck Hillman Willard and Miss Peggy Duncan, well known young people of Red Bluff, were injured and the car in which they were riding Saturday night about one mile north of Tehama, near Mooney ranch, was wrecked when in turning a sharp curve in the road, the automobile swerved suddenly to one side and crashed into a telephone pole. Harvey Strong, local manager for an oil company, happened along just after the accident, picked up the couple and brought them to their homes here. — Feb. 18, 1924 90 90 years years ago... ago... SECRET WITNESS 529-1268 A program of Tehama County Neighborhood Watch Program, Inc. Community people & events SACRAMENTO (AP) — The winning num- bers drawn Saturday night: SuperLotto Plus Powerball 8-21-24-28-38 2-9-14-21-23 Meganumber: 1 Powerball: 3 Lotto numbers Faydra Rector You Matter Aftermath Olympians of Social Security By JENNIFER COOPER Social Security Manager in Redding, CA While the eyes of the world focus on the XXII Winter Olympics in the resort town of Sochi, Russia this month, we'd like to bring your attention to another worthy focal point: internet safety. Feb. 11 is Safer Internet Day. If there were an Olympic event for safe Internet transactions, we believe the Social Security Administration would be in the running for a gold medal. We take Internet security seriously. After all, Securi- ty is our middle name. What are some of the convenient, safe, and secure things you can do online at www.socialsecurity.gov? You can get a personalized estimate of your future bene- fits using our Retirement Estimator. Apply for retirement or disability benefits. If you don't plan to retire but you want to apply only for Medicare at age 65, you can do it online. You can even establish and maintain a my Social Security account at any age to access all your personal Social Securi- ty information at any time convenient for you. All of these things can be done in minutes, and you don't have to worry about security issues. On Safer Internet Day and every day, your information is secure with us. If you've experienced a safe, convenient service at our website, why not share the experience at our social media hub? Of course, you'll want to be careful not to post any per- sonal identifying information, such as your Social Security number. But whether you want to spread the word about Safer Internet Day or share an experience you've had deal- ing with Social Security, we encourage you to join us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest. You'll find these connections, along with the ability to get email updates, view the photo blog, join webinars and more at our social media hub. Just visit www.socialsecurity.gov/socialmedia. The next Olympic event is about to begin in Sochi. But remember that the Social Security Administration gets a gold medal when it comes to safe transactions on the Inter- net. Security is our middle name. Earned Income Tax Credit Introduction to contracting NEC Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Butte College is presenting a free workshop on "Introduction to Government Contracting," 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Feb. 20 at 332 Pine St. in Red Bluff. This workshop will guide you through the step-by-step process for contracting with the government. Topics include Federal, State, and Local Government requirements, certifi- cation process, qualifications, and e-commerce opportunities for businesses. You will learn about government purchasing process, certification programs for small business, and gov- ernment pre-requisites and registration process. Pre-registration is required. Please register online, call or stop by NEC Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Butte College, 2480 Notre Dame Blvd., Chico, 530-895- 9017, www.bcsbdc.org to register and for information. The workshop is sponsored by U.S. Bank.