Volunteers Needed for Tax Prep Assistance Program at Ivy Tech

(BLOOMINGTON) – Ivy Tech Community College’s Bloomington campus is seeking community volunteers for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Certified volunteers are needed to provide basic tax preparation services for free to qualifying individuals.

“Ivy Tech’s Bloomington campus has provided basic tax prep services to our community for the past 17 years,” said Tina Sherrard, department chair of accounting at Ivy Tech Bloomington. “Volunteerism in our VITA project would help us maintain these services to our community and serve clients in need. They are truly grateful for it.”

The VITA program offers free tax preparation assistance to people who generally make $54,000 or less, persons with disabilities, and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide the free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.

Ivy Tech Bloomington provides training to prepare participants to pass the basic certification required by the Internal Revenue Service.

VITA days at Ivy Tech Bloomington will take place from Jan. 15 through March 6, with the first two weeks designated for tax and software training for volunteers. Public appointments start on Jan. 29 and will take place in three hour blocks each Wednesday through Saturday until March 6.

Interested volunteers can contact Sherrard at tsherrard@ivytech.edu or at (812) 330-6273.