Texas Southmost College (TSC) students from the Accounting Technology Program are getting a chance to help themselves and community members by volunteering their time as tax preparers.
The students are taking part in TSC’s annual VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program held at the school’s ITEC Center.
“All of our volunteers are certified through the IRS VITA certification program,” said Maggie Solis, TSC Accounting Technology Program Coordinator. “From tax preparers to people doing quality review. This impacts because it’s a win-win situation for my students in the accounting technology program. They’re getting real world experience and dealing with customer service doing the tax preparation. They get to learn more than the usual."
TSC’s VITA program assists people who make less than $67,000 annually by helping them file their taxes free of charge.
“Mainly to help the elderly, non-English speakers, and the ones who are not well with using technology,” Solis said. “Again, our tax returns are e-filed. We also help community with (other) tax returns, maybe someone forgot to do their 2024, 2023. We also do those tax returns.”
Students can also assist with other services to help community members file their returns.
“If someone is needing an ITIN number, which is an identification number just for the purpose of doing tax returns, we also do those here for free.” Solis added.
Solis’ students volunteering their time in the VITA program took coursework on federal income tax law in the fall semester.
“So now, with service learning, it’s their opportunity to put that into practice and get to learn more about what it takes to do a tax return. Not only a basic tax return, but what is considered an advanced (return), which includes other forms of income that we can also process. All my students in the program end up getting certified in what is considered the advanced, which is the highest certification that they can get.”
Solis says seeing the reaction from clients when completing their returns is satisfying to her and her students.
“Our clients are very excited when we get to tell them so much of a refund is coming to them and it’s all free,” Solis said. “We do not charge for any of this. When someone goes to an outside preparer, it can cost you between $300 and $500, even more.”
The TSC VITA program will offer its services Monday-Saturday until April 15 at the ITEC Center located on 301 Mexico Blvd.
Click here to find out what documentation is needed to sign up for the program.
