Mission
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteers provide free income tax preparation assistance to low-income, elderly, and disabled taxpayers as well as to taxpayers for whom English is a second language. VITA assistance covers Federal, State and Local Tax returns.
Services In addition to tax preparation, we offer free eFile services for both Federal and Pennsylvania tax returns, including direct deposit of refunds. We offer our services by appointment, generally on Saturdays throughout the tax season, as well as other mutually agreeable times.
What Students Do Student volunteers get FREE classroom training and certification by the IRS after satisfactorily completing an open book exam. Depending on their level of certification, volunteers are taught to correctly identify filing status, and to prepare returns with wages, tips, interest, dividends, unearned income, social security and retirement income, and self-employed income for Schedule C-EZ. While VITA volunteers are not required to train to fill out Schedules C, D, and E, certain sites may be able to help with such returns. Students start by talking to the client and finding out what his or her particular situation is. This helps the student develop interview skills while providing the taxpayer with the appropriate services for his or her needs.
What we have accomplished
This last tax season we prepared over 130 Federal, State and local returns. Our comprehensive approach saved one taxpayer over $400 in Federal Income taxes when we caught a coding error on a 1099. We have even helped taxpayers get refunds due them from prior years by filing returns for previous years.
Contact us
To contact the Widener Law VITA Program, call 717-541-3900.
Niki Carter
Student Site Chair, VITA
Useful Links
Public Interest Law on the Harrisburg Campus Internal Revenue Service Pennsylvania Department of Revenue Capital Tax Bureau West Shore Tax Bureau