Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is a national IRS-sponsored program that provides free preparation of federal and state tax returns for households with income less than $60,000.
VITA volunteers help complete and file tax returns for those who can’t afford professional tax preparation services. In 2024, community volunteers contributed 5,158 hours to the VITA program. They prepared 1,864 federal tax returns. This helped VITA clients claim more than $2.6 million in federal and state tax refunds.
Roles Available
There are multiple areas you can volunteer for: Intake Specialist, Greeter, and Tax Preparer.
NOTE that these positions require training, but it is free and UWECI will provide all necessary materials.
- Greeter – Do you like talking with and organizing people and processes? We need volunteers who are be a friendly face and help keep things moving at the tax site. No tax knowledge required or expected! You only needs to register, pass a ten-question ethics quiz, and attend a one-hour training session to prepare for this role.
- Tax Preparer – Do you like details, numbers, talking with people, and problem solving? Become a volunteer tax preparer with VITA! We provide training to get you ready to prepare taxes (no financial background required) for community members. You prepare taxes on behalf of clients with a team at the site. Once taxes are completed, they are reviewed by a Site Coordinator or Quality Reviewer. You need to register, pass a ten-question ethics quiz, attend a few classes that prepares the volunteer for the IRS Tax Preparer Certification, and pass the certification exam to prepare for this role.
- Intake Specialist – Do you like details and talking with people? Become an intake specialist with VITA! In this role you welcome clients who are dropping off their taxes, ensure that the intake form is completely filled out, and all materials have been provided by the client. We provide training (no financial background required) to get you ready to take tax information in so it can be prepared at another site. You only need to register, pass a ten-question ethics quiz, and attend a few training sessions.
During the tax season, greeters, intake specialists, and the tax preparers can select volunteering time slots of three hours per week for the ten-week tax season. Time slots are available during the day, in the evening and on Saturday.
We are accepting volunteers who are interested in joining us for the 2024 tax season. Training for the season will begin in December 2024. Please fill out the form at the bottom of the page to get started!
