Accounting students are providing free income tax preparation on campus to students and community members now through March 23.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program has trained accounting students to assist with income tax preparation, and all program volunteers are qualified to answer any tax-related questions.
“VITA is a great program because it helps low-income students and community members get their taxes done for free and the accounting students get real experience,” accounting major and program coordinator Fatima Montes-Alvarez said.
The VITA program is sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service and funded through Beta Alpha Psi and the Accounting Society.
According to Amanda Baldwin, accounting major and program co-coordinator, experienced coordinators, who have had additional training, check all documents before they are sent to the IRS.
“We can help you decide whether or not it’s better to claim yourself, or if your parents should still claim you, so you’ll get more money back,” senior accounting major Alyssa Kanzaki said.
Montes-Alvarez said the VITA program helps accounting students gain confidence as they move on to paid positions in the accounting field.
Accounting majors involved in the VITA program gain experience in the technical aspects of tax preparation and learn about interacting with clients.
“It gives us the opportunity to work with people, we are not just tax preparers but also psychologists since we have to help people deal with the emotions around taxes,” accounting major Tiffany Chow said.
Accounting major Erick Garcia said the program is about giving back to the community and getting the experience.
However, there are some limitations to qualify for the VITA program.
Program volunteers do not prepare business taxes and the services are only offered to those who earned less than $50,000 in 2011.
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