Need help filing your taxes? Check out VITA events in Youngstown
It’s time to file taxes, and a group offers one-on-one help filing state and federal claims in the Mahoning Valley.
What is VITA?
VITA stands for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance.
Volunteers are often local accountants, translators, and students who spend their free time helping people who need a second set of eyes on their forms.
The service is free and open to everyone who makes less than $64,000 a year.
VITA translators can help bilingual or non-English-speaking taxpayers understand the necessary information they must provide.
Volunteers also assist adults with disabilities in filing their forms correctly.
According to the IRS, volunteers who help prepare returns are required to get certified in tax law training.
“Each filing season, tens of thousands of dedicated VITA/TCE volunteers prepare millions of federal and state returns,” the IRS website says.
Use the IRS locator to find when and where there’s a VITA event near you.
What to bring
When attending a VITA event, don’t forget to bring:
- Wage and earnings statements (Form W-2) from all employers
- Interest statements from banks (Forms 1099)
- A copy of last year’s tax return, if available
- Other relevant information about income and expenses.
- Social Security cards for all people on the tax return
- A photo ID card
Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County
VITA staffers will be available to assist taxpayers on specified days.
Call (330) 540-1947 or (330) 610-3805 to participate and make an appointment.
Appointments are on March 18 from 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., March 20 from 3 - 4 p.m. and March 25 and March 27 from 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Tri-Lakes Public Library.
Another VITA event is scheduled for March 23 at the Sebring branch of the library from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Check the PLYMC website for all the VITA sessions through April.
Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University’s Lariccia School of Accounting and Finance hosts VITA sessions during tax season.
Business students and community volunteers pass the IRS certifications to participate in VITA.
Current Williamson College of Business Administration students will get to work with alums who are in the fields they’re studying.
Upcoming VITA dates at YSU are:
- March 15, 22, 29
- April 5
- April 12
To participate, you first have to make an online appointment.
You’ll select a specific time to pick up and then drop off the tax materials for VITA.
Forms can be dropped off and picked up at the WCBA building, 224 N Phelps St., in Youngstown, between Rayen Avenue and Wood Street.
Call (330) 941-2507 if you have questions.
“The VITA program not only provides beneficial tax services to members of the Youngstown community and the surrounding area but also gives volunteers and students valuable income tax preparation experience and the opportunity to give back to their community,” said Collin Meehan, a senior accounting student at YSU from Lake Milton, Ohio.
