With this year’s April 15 tax filing deadline approaching, Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, reminds taxpayers of two key benefits they may take advantage of to ensure they get back any money they earned.

Those benefits are:

• Free preparation assistance is available from California’s Franchise Tax Board’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and a Tax Counseling for the Elderly program to help individuals with limited incomes complete their tax returns.

• And families should apply for the California Earned Income Tax Credit, a benefit worth thousands of dollars for working people who earn low or moderate incomes. Starting this year, Cal EITC has expanded eligibility to low-income workers aged 18-24 and individuals 65 and up.

“I want to make sure every eligible person is able to receive the benefits provided by the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, which I was proud to help create,” Sen. Dodd said. “It’s easy to become lost in the maze of forms and rules when you are filing your taxes. Fortunately, there are teams of qualified volunteers out there ready to help.”

People seeking help with their taxes can visit https://www.ftb.ca.gov/help/free-tax-help/index.html.

Assistance is available through April 15 and is limited to full-year residents. The VITA program specializes in assisting disabled taxpayers, those with low to limited income and non-English speaking taxpayers.

The TCE program provides free income tax assistance for middle- or low-income taxpayers, giving special attention to those 60 and older.

The Cal EITC program can be a game-changer for many low-income families. Those who are eligible may also be eligible for other programs including Medi-Cal, CalFresh and CalWORKS.

Find an online calculator to determine your benefit here.

In addition, the IRS has its Taxpayer Advocate Service, which provides an independent system to ensure unresolved tax problems are handled promptly and fairly.

Free tax preparation programs are also supported by nonprofit groups like the United Way.