Nearly $67 million in refunds have been returned to Connecticut taxpayers as a result of free tax preparation services offered by local IRS-certified volunteers, according to a new breakdown of national IRS data compiled by the Corporation for Enterprise Development.

The data show that tax preparers at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites and Tax Counseling for the Elderly sites across Connecticut helped more than 51,000 with tax returns for 2014.

More than $18 million was returned to Connecticut workers through the Earned Income Tax Credit, according to the data.

Nationally, volunteer preparers helped return $3.895 billion to taxpayers and their families.