VITA Training to Boost Financial Security
It may not be tax season, but your United Way is hard at work ensuring that volunteers are trained and prepared for next year’s tax filings. The IRS has awarded the software contract for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs to a new vendor. Training for the new tax preparation software is occurring all summer long in Southwest Alabama.
“While it is always important to keep up with trends in tax law and to learn new software features, it is particularly important to conquer the learning curve this year,” said UWSWA VITA Program Coordinator Brad Martin. “Every piece of software is different. We feel that it is important to provide our volunteers with the most training and experience possible so they can provide the highest quality service to the taxpayers who rely on the VITA and TCE programs for free tax preparation.”
These training sessions also provide good opportunities for volunteers to test the new software in order to find things that may be problematic or may need clarification in order to bring those issues to the software vendor.
“We know that change is often difficult,” said Martin, “particularly after so many years of consistently using the same familiar software.Because of this, we wanted to engage our volunteers as early as possible in these conversations and training sessions to help them become comfortable with the new software. Doing what we can to increase volunteer comfort levels will hopefully help with volunteer retention, and we need those experienced volunteers for this program to remain successful.”
Last year, VITA volunteers prepared 3,022 tax returns, which resulted in more than $3.7 million returned to the community through tax refunds and tax credits.
Eligible residents who have yet to file for 2015 or have back taxes can have their taxes prepared by these trained volunteers. Just call 251-219-0606 to schedule your appointment today.
UWSWA is privileged to serve on a steering committee that is offering feedback to the software provider on behalf of volunteer tax preparers in Southwest Alabama and across the country.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer tax preparer, please contact Brad or by calling 251-433-3624. Training for new volunteers will begin in the fall.