College of Business accounting students offer free tax prep with changes for COVID-19
November 24, 2020
POCATELLO – Students in the Idaho State University College of Business accounting programs will continue to offer the community and fellow students the opportunity to have their taxes filed for free as part of the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program with important changes to comply with Covid-19 guidelines.
The program will be held as a drop off/pick up location in the Rendezvous Complex on Martin Luther King Jr. Way Room 213 every Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. starting Jan. 28 and continuing through April 1.
In order to participate, clients must make an annual income of $52,000 or less, bring their Social Security card, drivers license, and last year’s tax return if they have it. International students will also need to bring their passports. If filing jointly, both spouses must sign for the return. Clients will drop off their materials, and once the return is completed, they will be called to pick up the return.
Students who file the returns go through training and complete an exam to ensure they have a full grasp on the tax system and how to file correctly. Students must also pass three exams on codes of conduct, an intake and review sheet exam and a basic and advanced tax examinations. In addition, each return prepared by the program will receive three levels of review by professionals.
Students not only provide a valuable service to the community, but also get hands-on experience filing real returns and applying their classroom knowledge to real situations. In 2019, students were able to file 495 returns and 20 amended returns for clients far surpassing other schools of similar size who participate in the program.
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