Taxes are an unfortunate yet necessary part of living and working in most countries, and the U.S. tax system can prove to be difficult to navigate. However, there is a resource on Winthrop University’s campus this semester that can help students out with the process.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program was founded by the IRS in the early 1970s to assist Americans with filing their taxes. The program operates at various locations around the country and was designed to help Americans who make less than $56,000 per year, according to the VITA page on the IRS website.
The people who help out with the VITA program and offer advice do so on a volunteer basis. One of the groups that has volunteers assisting with the program at Winthrop is Beta Alpha Psi, an organization whose purpose is “[t]o develop and enhance the professional skills and service leadership of the top students in accounting, finance and computer science,” according to BAP’s page on Winthrop’s website.
BAP member MaryAllan Dolyniuk said in an email to The Johnsonian that the program will be operating on campus until April 3. Each Friday, volunteers with the VITA will either be in the DiGiorgio Campus Center lobby or in room 114 from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., according to Dolyniuk.
Justin Grigg is the president of BAP. He described the VITA as being “sponsored by the IRS and run by volunteers.”
“The goal is to provide people in the community with access to tax preparation and filing for free,” Grigg said in an email to The Johnsonian. “The only ‘catch’ is a person’s taxes cannot be complex,” which may include rental properties or small businesses, for example.
Grigg said that all volunteers have to undergo training and obtain a certain certification to be able to assist with the program. Furthermore, a “seasoned professional” checks over all returns before they are filed, according to Grigg.
“VITA provides a way for students to file taxes for free, as well. Since students often do not have complex tax situations, VITA is the perfect opportunity for tax preparation. Taxes can be confusing for students, and VITA volunteers have the expertise to file taxes accurately,” Grigg said. “I would encourage all students who work and have federal taxes withheld from their paycheck to visit Winthrop’s VITA at some point this semester. I would also encourage students who are not sure if they should file taxes to visit Winthrop’s VITA and have their questions answered.”
Dolyniuk said that the “numbers of participants” has decreased over the last several years. She said that BAP “feel[s] like a lot of students are unaware of this opportunity.”
Grigg said that he thinks the decrease in the number of participants could be that students are not aware of the program. He said another guess is that students may feel uncomfortable sharing their information with others. He said that all volunteers are required to keep the information entirely confidential. Furthermore, he said that the computers that are used for the VITA program are loaded with software from the IRS which “is another reason to not worry about confidentiality,” Grigg said.
Grigg said that if students wish to utilize this resource that is being offered to them, they should make sure to bring their tax documents (such as W-2 forms), social security card and bank account information, should they choose to have their tax return funds deposited directly into their account.
“It usually takes an hour at most to file a tax return, so it is well worth the time,” Grigg said.
Graphic: Maggie Claytor/ The Johnsonian
