Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program

Abstract

IMPACT. 1: Preparation of 250-300 tax returns annually; over 3,000 tax returns prepared since 2004 -- 2. Help taxpayers receive over $400,000 in refunds each year, with total Federal refunds generated of over$5 million since 2004 -- 3. 60-70 student volunteers annually, who devote close to 1,000 hours each year to training, certification, and volunteering in the program.OSU PARTNERS: Accounting & MIS Department, Fisher College of BusinessCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: Tax Time Coalition of Central Ohio; Godman Guild; United Way of Central OhioPRIMARY CONTACT: Stephanie Lewis ([email protected])The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, sponsored by the IRS, offers free, high-quality tax help to people who generally make $54,000 or less. Fisher College of Business students in the Master of Accounting program and Beta Alpha Psi go through an extensive training process and become IRS-certified volunteers, enabling them to provide basic tax return preparation and e-filing services to taxpayers in the community