VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) is a program that provides free tax preparation to benefit individuals with low to moderate income, senior citizens, Non-English speaking persons, and individuals with disabilities. Volunteers prepare basic tax returns at conveniently located community and neighborhood locations. Returns are filed electronically resulting in fast refunds. All training and materials are provided free from the IRS.

Local VITA Impact

In Arizona, millions of EITC dollars were not collected by eligible families. In one hour, you can help a moderate or low-income family collect an average of $1,871 (to a maximum of $4,700) for things like meeting basic needs, purchasing a house or buying a car through your local Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program!

Volunteers play a crucial role in EITC campaigns. Free tax preparation sites depend on volunters and not only do they help working families get the credit(s) they deserve, but also save families the fee charged by professional tax preparers. Last year, volunteers returned more than $7 million impacting more than 10,000 hard working families.

Learn more about EITC courtesy of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Please help residents "File & Smile" by choosing any of the following volunteer opportunities:

Volunteer at a DES VITA Site

Opportunities are available in Glendale, Phoenix, and Tempe. Call 602-263-8845 x 140 to sign up for training.

Click Below for Other VITA Volunteer Opportunities

Avondale/Buckeye Chandler Glendale Mesa Phoenix Scottsdale Tempe Tucson Yuma Area Southern Arizona Inter Tribal Council of Arizona Statewide Tribal

Site Coordinator
Pass IRS tax law and tax software training
Establish a Quality Review process for the site
Ensure that all Volunteer tax preparers are aware of the Quality Review procedures
Provide feedback to volunteer tax preparers regarding tax prep errors and adherence to site quality procedures
Develop and maintain schedule for volunteers
Perform administrative duties

Volunteer Tax Preparer
Pass Tax law and tax software training
Prepare basic 1040 tax returns and related schedules
Answer tax related questions
Prepare a correct and accurate return
Maintain confidentiality of customer information
Provide and explain a copy of the completed return to the customer
Adhere to site quality and administrative procedures

Screeners
General tax law and E-file knowledge
Perform screening process of all customers to determine the type of assistance needed
Ensure that the customer has brought the necessary information

Greeter
Greet customers visiting the site to create a friendly, orderly atmosphere
Manage traffic flow to help assure sufficient time available to assist the customer

Interpreters
Provide free interpreter services at the VITA site

Instructors
Teach basic tax law
Teach Tax Wise Software

Click here to find out about free training in your city.

The EITC local initiative is sponsored by Governor Janet Napolitano's EITC Task Force that includes:
 
Governor's Office for Children, Youth and Families
Arizona Community Action Association
Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES)
Arizona Community Foundation
Arizona Department of Revenue
Arizona SAVES
ACORN
Arizona Public Service (APS)
Bank of America
Children's Action Alliance
Cities of Avondale, Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe
Collaboration for a New Century
Community Information & Referral
Fresh Start Women's Foundation
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG)
Mesa Community Action Network (MesaCAN)
Morris Institute for Justice
Pinnacle West
Salt River Project (SRP)
Southwest Gas
Tempe Community Council
Valley of the Sun United Way
Wells Fargo
 

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