PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Temple University is once again offering free tax return prep assistance to eligible individuals and families.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) annual program is made up of Fox School of Business students, faculty and alumni who have passed IRS certification exams. They volunteer their time to prepare tax returns for individuals and families who make less than $60,000 a year.
Dr. Steve Balsam, professor of accounting and coordinator of the VITA program, said hundreds of clients benefited from the service last year. More than 500 of their clients claimed approximately $500,000 in federal and state tax refunds.
“A tax return, depending on who you go to, could cost you a couple hundred dollars,” he said. “Especially for somebody who is now in the gig economy, they have a little bit more complicated return that we can prepare but it requires additional schedules, and these paid preparers can get quite expensive in doing the returns.”
The free help will be offered by appointment on Wednesday afternoons from 1 to 5 p.m. at Temple’s main campus, 1810 N. 13th St., and Saturday afternoons from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Ambler campus, 580 Meetinghouse Road.
The program runs now through April 13. Appointments can be made by calling 215-326-9519 or emailing vita@temple.edu.
Clients should visit fox.temple.edu/vita beforehand to learn what documents they need to bring to their appointments.