(Seguin) – Preparing your taxes just got easier thanks to a group of students at Texas Lutheran University. The students today will be launching the Volunteer Income Tax Clinic (VITA), an annual effort to assist lower income families with their tax forms.
Ashlie Ford, TLU’s director of marketing and communications, says the effort is part of a long-standing tradition for the university.
“Our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Clinic is run by students in our Master of Accountancy Program and in the past years, visitors to campus would come inside and students would work with them in person to prepare the return and ever since, COVID, they have modified the clinic to operate as a drive-thru so to follow our campus COVID guidelines, taxpayers will remain in their cars and a student volunteer from the accountancy program will be in the Beck Center parking lot to assist them. Students will prepare the tax returns inside the Beck Center, but the taxpayers will not enter the building. So, they really made it easy where they can drive up, get the information. They will work on the return and then they’ll come back out to the car with all of the necessary paperwork,” said Ford.
Ford says the free assistance is to ensure that those in the community who need it, get the service they deserve.
So, the VITA Program has operated for more than 50 years, and it offers free basic tax return prep to qualified individuals including people who generally make about $57,000 or less a year, persons with disabilities and limited English speaking taxpayers. So, the goal of the clinic is to really assist those particular audiences,” said Ford.
Ford says to ensure that the process is a smooth one, individuals are asked to bring along the proper documents.
“So, taxpayers should bring all tax forms, a photo ID and their Social Security card. Those three things are required,” said Ford.
Ford says the university prides itself in being able to assist the Seguin community especially during these challenging times. She says it’s again just one more way to give back to the community.
“The VITA Tax Clinic was started by Professor Sally Cook who has been a member of our faculty here for a very long time and she started doing this a long time ago with students to not only get them experienced working with clients and preparing tax returns but also the free service to the community and that is something that is very important to TLU and we see ourselves as a community partner and anytime, we can assist specific populations within our own backyard, we love to do that and we love that our students are able to participate in this type of servant leadership,” said Ford.
From now through Saturday, April. 16, the VITA tax clinic will be held every Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. and every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.
Assistance will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. No appointments are available. Please note there will not be a clinic on Saturday March 12, Wednesday, March 16 or on Saturday, March 19 as TLU will be closed for Spring Break.
The tax clinic will be conducted outside the TLU Beck Center located at the corner of West Court and Prexy Streets.