Students at Fox Valley Technical College are helping ease some of the burden associated with tax season.

In partnership with UW-Green Bay, Accounting students are providing free tax help via the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Through VITA, qualified individuals meet with an IRS-certified volunteer either virtually or in person at UWGB to submit their tax-related paperwork. FVTC students receive those materials and work on the back end by preparing the tax returns.

“These are simple returns with minimal hiccups,” says Accounting instructor Tom Servais, who oversees the students preparing the returns. “Our class meets one day each week where the students work on the returns. I then review every return before it is completed.”

The VITA Tax class is a one-credit class that meets every Tuesday. All the students are pursuing an associate degree in Accounting and as part of the preparation for this project, they had to undergo specific training to become IRS-certified volunteers.

“This class is beneficial to both the students and the community. The students get hands-on experience preparing and reviewing tax returns,” Tom explains. “It also serves as a community service in doing tax returns—at no cost—for those who need help or are not able to do their return. It is a win-win situation.”

There is still time for qualified individuals to take advantage of this service. Learn more about VITA here.