Clayton State Accounting Students Gear Up for 20th Year of Free Tax Preparation Services

Free, Free, Free. Clayton State University’s accounting students will provide free volunteer tax preparation assistance again this year, beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday Feb. 6, in the School of Business Building, located on the Clayton State University campus.

Accounting students from the University have recently been busy reviewing all the tax law changes brought about by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, partly because they are participating in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), hosted by the School of Business.

VITA is a national program that provides tax support to low-to-moderate income taxpayers. This program, which has been in existence for 37 years, provides volunteers with extensive IRS training to ensure that taxpayers receive the tax credits for which they qualify such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. Students also benefit from this program as preparers are trained in the recent changes to the credits available for tuition and other school-related expenses. The VITA program also prepares state income tax returns and provides free e-filing options to ensure clients receive their refunds as soon as possible.

Clayton State University is proud to be the only university in the state of Georgia that has successfully participated in the VITA program for 20 years running. On average, the student volunteers provide assistance to at least 100 people each year, and they are looking forward to helping many more.

“It gives our students hands-on experience, and provides a valuable service to the public. We have taxpayers who return every year,” says Dr. Judith Ogden, assistant professor of Business Law.

This service will be offered at the Clayton State University School of Business on all Saturdays in February, and on Mar. 20 and Mar. 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Taxpayers will be assisted on a first come, first serve basis. If taxpayers have further questions, they may call the VITA hotline at (678) 466-4527.

Those who are eligible to receive this service are taxpayers who make under $49,000 a year and wish to receive help with their 2009 personal income taxes. The program does not provide assistance with out-of-state or small business returns, or for those who are self-employed.

Those interested in receiving this assistance must bring the following items:

 photo identification,
 social security cards for themselves, their spouse, and dependents,
 birthdates,
 wage and earnings statements from all employers,
 interest and dividend statements,
 other relevant information about income and expenses including day care expenses,
 a copy of last year’s federal and state income tax returns if possible,
 And bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit.

In keeping with the desire to serve the community, Clayton State University will also host a local Bank of America representative on preparation dates during February. The representative will be available to assist with opening an account and will answer questions about a variety of different services that Bank of America offers.

In response to the success of Bank of America partnering with other VITA locations in the past, Clayton State University looks forward to working with them this year and hopes that taxpayers will take advantage of this additional service, notes Ogden.

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.
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