Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)

Issued by Wilson College of Business

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program was established by the Internal Revenue Service to help those who may find it difficult to pay for tax preparation services. Senior or graduate-level UNI Accounting students serve as certified volunteers to help prepare basic tax returns to members of the Cedar Valley community during peak tax preparation months.

Type Experience
Level Advanced
Time Months
Cost Paid

Additional Details

Skills

Community Service
Income Tax Preparation
Interpersonal communication
Oral Communication
Problem Solving
Professional Communication Skills
Tax Research

Earning Criteria

Successfully complete ACCT 4150 Income Tax
Complete online training in the following areas: 1) Volunteer Standards of Conduct- Ethics Training (VSOC) (Pub. 4961), 2) Intake/Interview and Quality Review Training (Publication 5166), 3) Advanced (or Basic) level training (Volunteer Assistor’s Test/Retest-Pub. 6744), 4) Foreign Student and Scholar training (Foreign Student and Scholar Test-Pub. 4704FS), 5) Health Savings Accounts (Pub. 4942)
Use Publication 4012, VITA/TCE Volunteer Resource Guide during training and tax preparation.
Use Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax for Individuals, Tax Guide during training and tax preparation.
Pass the IRS Certification Exams at 80% or above in the following areas: 1) Standards of Conduct, 2) Basic or Advanced certification, 3) Health Savings Accounts, 4) Foreign Students and Scholars
Sign and agree to Form 13615 (Volunteer Standards of Conduct Agreement)
Gain tax preparation experience through the Practice Lab, the online tax preparation training software, TaxSlayer Pro
Prepare tax returns for qualifying community members during the tax filing season using the IRS’ online tax software, TaxSlayer Pro.