Students in Georgia Southern’s Parker College of Business are ready to get hands-on experience preparing income tax returns while helping community members save money through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which began on Jan. 31.
The program, now in its third year, is hosted by the University’s School of Accountancy through a partnership with the IRS and offers free individual income tax preparation and e-file services to taxpayers. All tax returns are prepared and reviewed by accounting students and faculty who are IRS VITA certified.
“This is a great opportunity for our accounting students to use their tax knowledge to give back to the community,” said Gloria Stuart, CPA, senior lecturer of accounting and advisor for the program. “Our community has been a valuable partner in enhancing the educational experience of our accounting students by using our free VITA services.”
The service will be available for most taxpayers with a household income of $68,000 or less filing federal income and Georgia full-year resident tax returns. The VITA program services are open to residents of any county meeting the requirements. Out-of-state tax returns are not accepted.
The VITA program is open until April 13 at Georgia Southern’s City Center in downtown Statesboro on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. with a few Saturday dates as well. VITA does not take appointments and services are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Taxpayers should plan to bring a photo ID, social security card, banking information for direct deposit and the previous year’s tax return. Additional documents may be required, and a list of those documents, in addition to the VITA program’s schedule of operation, is available at https://parker.georgiasouthern.edu/vita/.
