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What is Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)?

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $60,000 or less, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and limited English-speaking taxpayers. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.

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Assistance is provided at community and neighborhood centers, libraries, schools, shopping malls, and other convenient locations.

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IRS Tax Volunteers

Learn to prepare taxes and make a difference in your community at the same time. How can you make a difference? Simple. Volunteer to help your community by preparing taxes free of charge with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program.

You will receive training to provide free tax help for low-to-moderate income families who need assistance preparing their tax returns. As a volunteer, you will join the thousands of others who each year prepare millions of tax returns at thousands of tax sites nationwide.

How does this program work? As a committed tax volunteer, you’ll be assigned to work with a sponsoring organization, first to receive training and then to begin volunteering at a location in your community. Training is offered both online and in the classroom. Tax sites are generally open nights and/or weekends and the hours are flexible. You will surely find a volunteer site close to you.

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Volunteer Positions

Greeter/Screener – You greet everyone visiting the site to create a pleasant atmosphere. You screen taxpayers to determine the type of assistance they need and confirm they have the necessary documents to complete their tax returns. Tax law certification is not required for this position.

Tax Preparer – You complete and successfully certify in tax law training, including the use of electronic filing software, to provide free tax return preparation for eligible taxpayers.

Quality Reviewer – You review tax returns completed by volunteer tax preparers, ensuring that every taxpayer receives top quality service and that the tax returns are error-free. You must be tax law certified at least at the Intermediate level.

Site Administrator/Coordinator – You have excellent organizational and leadership skills. You are the primary resource for sharing your knowledge of the program and are available to assist with any issues that may arise. You develop and maintain schedules for all volunteers to ensure adequate coverage, supplies, and equipment

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Certification Process: 4 Facets

Tax law training: Link & Learn is an interactive training site the IRS provides to give insights into tax law for the current tax year…2022.

Practical training: Practice Lab is provided by our software vendor to do practice tax returns.

Testing: A test book, Pub 6744, functions as a take-home quiz…the answers are transferred to an online certification test site when you are completely sure of your answers.

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Resources:

– The IRS doesn’t expect its volunteers to memorize a lot of information. Pub 4012 is a Volunteer Resource Guide that serves as a desktop-ready reference to answer questions.

– Pub 4012 is used to:

• Do Practice Tax returns

• Answer questions in the test book, Pub 6744

• Do actual tax returns when you are certified

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What happens next? 

Please leave your contact information on the website and we will be in touch.

•We will send a short application which you will return at your convenience.

•We will provide paper copies of the Pub 6744 test book, and the Pub 4012 Volunteer Resource Guide.

•We will assist you with online and on-site training.