A nonprofit United Wayled coalition is launching its free tax preparation season for low-income taxpayers with a four-hour special program Saturday.

The Creating Assets, Savings & Hope (CASH) Coalition’s “Cash In Saturday” will offer free tax preparation and other services geared to help taxpayers earning $48,000 or less to maximize their tax credits and savings.

In particular, organizers will work with attendees to ensure they can claim the federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit if they qualify for it. That’s a refundable credit of up to about $5,000 for low-income working taxpayers. The CASH program will also include presentations on homeownership and matched savings accounts, screening for eligibility for government benefits, assistance in health care enrollment and the opportunity to receive and review credit reports. There will also be information about repairing damaged credit, and several bank representatives will be present to help open bank accounts. Legal Aid attorneys will also be in attendance.

The program will be held from 10 a. m. to 2 p. m. Saturday in the Tri-Main Center at 2495 Main St. in Buffalo. It’s sponsored by CASH, National Fuel Gas Co., the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, HSBC Bank USA and the U. S. Internal Revenue Service.

Additionally, various agencies and banks have arranged to host free tax-preparation “Super Saturdays,” with the first planned for Feb. 6 by KeyBank and Belmont Housing Corp. The CASH Coalition will also take its mobile tax assistance unit, called the Income TAXi, to other locations, such as banks and community centers.

Finally, CASH will sponsor 10 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites during the tax season, at the University at Buffalo Educational Opportunity Center, First Shiloh Baptist Church, Community Action Organization’s JFK Center, Northwest Buffalo Community Center, Native American Community Services, Cazenovia Reading & Resource Center, Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers, Delavan-Grider Community Center, and Daemen and D’Youville colleges.

Separately, IRS-certified accounting students from UB’s School of Management will also provide free-tax preparation services to low-income area residents, students and other individuals and families.

The service, available on both the North and South campuses, is being coordinated by the UB chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an international honors organization for accounting, finance and information systems students, with help from the UB Accounting Association.

These services can also prepare tax filings and help taxpayers qualify for the earned income tax credit for the two prior years as well as for 2009. The IRS estimates that using free services can save taxpayers between $100 and $300 in preparation fees.