Elderly and low-income tax payers are getting free help preparing their tax returns through an IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA). Students at Black Hills State University in Spearfish are participating in the program and applying what they’ve learned in the classroom to help out members of their community.
VITA organizer and Assistant Professor of Accounting at Black Hills State University Dr. Liz Diers says many people don’t know how, or don’t have the resources to get their tax returns prepared.
She says this is why the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is a win/win for students and the community.
“We use trained volunteers, accounting students, that have completed the accounting curriculum requirement of income tax class. So they’re well-trained volunteers that hopefully will be CPA’s someday, but it gives them the experience of actually preparing income tax returns while we’re assisting members of the community with the free income tax preparation,” says Diers.
Diers says students are often nervous before sitting down to help actual clients but many leave more confident about the process. She says participating in the VITA program also helps students make career choices.
Leah Shockey is one of the student volunteers and says VITA is proving to
be a valuable learning experience.
“I think it’s preparing me more than anything else we’ve really done in class. Um, get the whole human aspect of it, not just the paper story. You get to relate to people and hear their stories and see that these things really matter in their lives. And a human connection. Every case is different, every person is different. I have learned so much,” says Shockey.
Shockey says the people she's helped are grateful – one even brought her brownies.
Taxpayers with basic returns that make less than $55,000 per year and meet other eligibility requirements can benefit from the VITA program.
Contact the School of Business at BHSU for more information.
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