Alaska Business Development Center

ABDC is a non-profit corporation that promotes financial stability and economic development in rural Alaska through free tax assistance to low-income taxpayers, individuals with limited English proficiency and senior citizens, with an emphasis on Alaska Natives. Services include free current, amended and prior year tax return preparation, taxpayer education and assistance to taxpayers in controversy with the IRS. These services are crucial to low income taxpayers in rural Alaska, where professional assistance is limited, costly or non-existent.

Each year, ABDC assists over 150 communities in rural Alaska through direct travel by trained volunteers during February and March and through staff at the Anchorage office year-round. In 2020, ABDC prepared 6,500 current year tax returns and delivered more than 3,100 educations on taxpayer rights and responsibilities.

Chronic and severe poverty heightened by geographic isolation continues to prevent ABDC's clients from accessing services in urban areas. Many rural residents have large families and low income which fails to support the entire family throughout the year. Economic and employment opportunities are generally limited to seasonal work, small businesses, teaching and positions with Alaska Native corporations and local governments including tribal and city offices.

This population relies on the support of tax refunds to provide for their families; the preparation of rural resident’s income tax return frequently results in a refund representing a double digit percentage of the taxpayer’s annual disposable income. These refunds can only be garnered through properly filed federal tax returns. In 2020, the program generated over $10.9 million dollars in tax refunds for more than 7,900 low-income Alaskans.

Your contribution will ensure that rural Alaskans continue to have reliable, consistent access to crucial tax assistance. Donations help ABDC provide valuable tax services to rural residents throughout Alaska.