Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program

Contact Information

College of Business

Contact Details

collegeofbusiness@jmu.edu

Description

The COB - School of Accounting is a recognized partner organization by the IRS, offering free tax preparation and e-filing to the local community through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Nine Master of Science in Accounting students will earn 3 credits in the Spring 2017 semester by working in the VITA center, for 50 hours over the course of 11 weeks, on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. I addition to the MSA students, twelve students from the Accounting Honor Society, Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), are each volunteering at least 10 hours of service in the VITA center, working in various support roles, such as translators, greeters and interviewers. All personal in the center are certified by the IRS, commensurate with their role in the VITA center, via multiple tests. The VITA Coordinator, Dr. Ron Cereola, with the assistance of Dr. Nancy Nichols, supervise the students and attend to the required administrative duties r to maintain IRS approved status of program. The VITA program provides low -middle income individuals in the Harrisonburg / Rockingham County area with a significant economic benefit, via free preparation & e-filing. It also permits students in the College of Business to gain “real world” experience, while engaging with diverse segments of the local population.

Web Presence

https://www.jmu.edu/news/cob/2017/02/27-jmu-accounting-students-offer-free-income-tax-preparation.shtml

Involvement

Involves Faculty, Involves Students, Involves Participants External to JMU

Date

2017

Frequency

Recurring Event (Occurs on a regular basis but not continual)

Areas of Engagement

Community Engagement

Format

Program