2008 Woodie Awards
Students provide tax help
Beath the tax rush with KCC
Kyle Phillips
Issue date: 2/17/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
In 60 days the post office will be flooded with people as they line up with various tax forms rushing to get them done before the 5 p.m. April 15 deadline.
Employers are required to get the required tax information to their employees by January 31. After receiving all of the tax information it is up to the tax-paying citizen to fill out the proper tax forms. Many people hire accountants to do their taxes for them. At Kirkwood Community College however, there is a much cheaper option with equal convenience: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). VITA is a group of accounting students at the Iowa City campus under the supervision of Peggy DeJong, certified public accountant. For the third year VITA members are attending training and donating at least two hours every week to accurately complete the tax forms that so many people dread completing. The service is offered to both KCC students and faculty.
Information about VITA is available at the Iowa City campus; the walk-in hours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the activity hour from 11 a.m. to noon and by appointment on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
In order to take advantage of ther services provided by VITA several items are required before one may begin the process.
"Taxpayers should bring their Social Security card and the card for anyone that will be listed on the return, a picture ID, a copy of last years tax return, any W-2's, 1099's and other tax related documents they have received," DeJong said.
There is a short interview process conducted by the students before they begin filling out the forms. Once the necessary paperwork is received a VITA member will fill out all required tax forms. The forms will then be reviewed by a faculty member, (either DeJong or Lynn Dye, adjunct instructor) before being filed electronically.
Electronic filing ensures that the forms will get in on time and usually means a faster turn around regarding the refund. "Information is dropped off by the taxpayer during an interview process. At that time an appointment is made for the taxpayer to pick up the completed return, usually in less than a week. This system is used for quality control purposes. It is still necessary to come back later to pick up the completed return," DeJong said.
Employers are required to get the required tax information to their employees by January 31. After receiving all of the tax information it is up to the tax-paying citizen to fill out the proper tax forms. Many people hire accountants to do their taxes for them. At Kirkwood Community College however, there is a much cheaper option with equal convenience: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). VITA is a group of accounting students at the Iowa City campus under the supervision of Peggy DeJong, certified public accountant. For the third year VITA members are attending training and donating at least two hours every week to accurately complete the tax forms that so many people dread completing. The service is offered to both KCC students and faculty.
Information about VITA is available at the Iowa City campus; the walk-in hours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the activity hour from 11 a.m. to noon and by appointment on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
In order to take advantage of ther services provided by VITA several items are required before one may begin the process.
"Taxpayers should bring their Social Security card and the card for anyone that will be listed on the return, a picture ID, a copy of last years tax return, any W-2's, 1099's and other tax related documents they have received," DeJong said.
There is a short interview process conducted by the students before they begin filling out the forms. Once the necessary paperwork is received a VITA member will fill out all required tax forms. The forms will then be reviewed by a faculty member, (either DeJong or Lynn Dye, adjunct instructor) before being filed electronically.
Electronic filing ensures that the forms will get in on time and usually means a faster turn around regarding the refund. "Information is dropped off by the taxpayer during an interview process. At that time an appointment is made for the taxpayer to pick up the completed return, usually in less than a week. This system is used for quality control purposes. It is still necessary to come back later to pick up the completed return," DeJong said.