Taxes often feel like a burden, a complete strain, especially on those with low incomes. Having to go through all the trouble of saving important receipts for personal records and filing a tax return, paying for it doesn’t help either. Fortunately, the Internal Revenue Service, IRS, found a way years ago to provide tax help to people with low to moderate income, or $36,000 and below, for free. The program, called VITA, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, offers aid with tax returns in communities across the country at libraries, community centers, schools, shopping malls and other convenient locations. Last year they created a new assistance site at FAU on the Davie Campus with Dr. Sharon Lassar, coordinator of the program, and her two co-coordinators, Faye Francis, and Karen McDonald.
The electronic filing used at most of these sites makes it easier than ever to prepare basic tax returns, and that tends to make the whole process more enjoyable. Back in 2000, according to the IRS website, 33,000,000 out of 226,130,000 individual income tax returns were filed electronically. The volunteer students, largely accounting students, receive the necessary training prior to working, remembering that through this volunteer assistance they get the practice that will sustain them in their careers.
Francis, VITA co-coordinator working on her executive master’s program downtown and specializing in forensics accounting, initiated the idea when she decided that by studying only corporate taxes, she wasn’t getting any practice with personal income taxes. Francis heard about the IRS and their VITA program, but was not sure who to call and how to get the proper information. Luckily, her neighbor, who works for the IRS, gave her a number to call where she received all the information she needed. VITA came to the FAU campus at Davie in 2004, after volunteer accounting students decided to give the assistance center a shot in order to help people and master their skills at the same time. After being trained by the IRS, Francis then got together with the enthusiastic accounting students and the journey began there.
Francis remembers how the students would complain about doing it for free. “Do this for free, are you crazy?” or “Do you know how much money I can get to file tax returns?” she would hear from them constantly. “But after the required 40 hours of volunteer service, they still continue to stay here,” she adds while laughing. The students love the working atmosphere and the great feeling of helping others in need. “It’s really a very worthwhile community service and a great experience for the students at the same time,” explains Dr. Lassar. “I decided to take this on as a volunteer program and I offered to provide training and supervision,” she adds. Dr. Lassar was able to handle some of the more complex questions that students were bound to stumble across.
When everything was set, the students began training, taking approximately two months, from December until the end of January, this year. After training, the Davie assistance center was subsequently opened. The volunteer students filed tax returns from February, excluding spring break, and continued through March 26th. The site will reopen in February, 2006.
This site is coordinated by the IRS, which provides training, materials, and support. The reason that VITA only helps individuals with incomes of $36,000 or less is because IRS does not want to compete with H&R Block or other tax professionals. “We help not only students, but the public also. The IRS keeps a list of all the volunteer income tax assistance sites and when tax payers call to ask where they can get their tax return for free the IRS sends them to closest location,” explains Dr. Lassar.
This year the VITA at the Davie campus had 28 students trained to prepare returns. Apparently, students love the interaction with the community that volunteering gets them. Even co-coordinator Francis loves the interaction. “I love helping these people, I enjoy it a lot,” she explains. What’s more exciting is that the majority of the taxpayers enjoy the service so much, they come back the following year. The Davie site is opened Fridays from 9:30-noon, and Saturdays 10:00-2:00. The tax return site at Davie is located in the Liberal Arts Building, Room 340.
Taxpayers should bring their social security card or last year’s tax return form, although “we prefer both because with electronic filing we have to be sure we spell their names exactly how it is in the social security database,” explains Dr. Lassar. They also need their current tax information with them, W2 forms, 1099s or whatever they have that shows how much money they’ve made that year. VITA also helps filing tax returns for international students with non-residency. Since international students do not have social security tax withheld from their pay they have to file a different form, VITA volunteers know how to prepare a 1040NR form, unlike many other tax filing firms.
VITA may open a location on the Boca Raton Campus, granted that the accounting students here are willing to try the program. If they do they need to contact coordinator Dr. Sharon Lassar at (954) 236-1067 or co-coordinator Faye Francis at (954)907-8584.
For those who would like to find a VITA location near them, please contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
