Local residents with a household income under $65,000 can have their tax returns prepared for free through a program administered by JMU's graduate accounting program. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
JMU has hosted a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, program for six years now, overseen by Nancy Nichols, director of the master's in accounting program. She says demand has grown every year.
NANCY NICHOLS: The first year we helped about 150 taxpayers … we're hoping we maybe hit 600 taxpayers this year.
Twenty graduate accounting students and three professors will be available every Friday evening from 4 to 7 p.m. starting this week and continuing through April 8. Nichols said the students have trained carefully throughout January, and their work is double-checked by professionals.
NICHOLS: They're reviewed by one professor to make sure that all the information that's been entered has been entered correctly into the preparation service that we use, and that we've considered all the tax credits and all the tax deductions and just really gone through it with a fine-toothed comb. And then it's reviewed a second time.
Spanish language interpreters will be on hand as well.
NICHOLS: We absolutely love being able to help the members of the local community take advantage of every tax deduction and every tax credit that's out there, and just spending a little time talking with them, and … making sure something's not missed.
She noted that recipients of the Advance Child Tax Credit Payments should bring their letter from the IRS stating how much they received through the program.
