Starting Feb. 1, NSU’s Accounting Club will prepare taxes for free every weekend until April 13.
The club’s members will provide this service for NSU students and Broward County residents who earn under $52,000 in 2013. This service will be open every Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Room 3029 of the Carl DeSantis Building.
The club is providing this service as an official site of the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), said President Phong Chung, first-year graduate accounting student. Through this program, members of the club must pass an exam that covers their knowledge of filing status, social security benefits, and other tax-related issues, qualifying them to be tax preparers.
Chung, who is also the site coordinator, said the club members will work with the volunteers from Hispanic Unity of Florida, which hosts other VITA sites in Broward.
Accounting Club Vice President Phuc Nguyen, second-year graduate accounting student, said people who want their taxes done must bring a W-2 form, identification, social security number and their tax return from last year. Those who are self-employed must bring a 1099-MISC form. If applicable, they must also bring their individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) and proof of foreign status. Those who want the tax return sent to their bank must bring their bank account number and bank account routing number. If married couples wish to file jointly, both must be present at the filing.
Chung said the process should take about 30 minutes. As people arrive, a greeter will ask them for their identification. A screener will then ask them about their tax history. Afterward, they will meet with a tax preparer, who will receive the tax history and prepare the the filer’s taxes. Finally, Nguyen, the site quality reviewer, will review the process with the preparer and tax filer.
Chung said the service is convenient for students because it is provided on campus and is also a good career opportunity for accounting students.
“Students participating in the program as tax preparers will get experience from the program, and it will also serve as an opportunity for them if they’re interested in working with the IRS later on,” Chung said.
Accounting Club Secretary Michael E. Smith, junior accounting major, said he and other student tax preparers value this opportunity to give back to the community.
“We have students who have been preparing since the beginning of last semester to make sure that they can [participate],” Smith said. “This is something we’re really proud of in the accounting club.”
For more information, contact Chung at phong@nova.edu.
