VITA - CWRU Beta Alpha Psi

IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

Welcome to VITA
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) is free tax return preparation, provided by the EITC Coalition at www.refundohio.org. This year, VITA is operating virtually.

Case Western Reserve University accounting students offer their trained expertise to prepare tax returns for fellow students and other members of the community at no cost. No appointment is necessary; as clients are served on a first-come, first-served basis. Most VITA sites are basic volunteer sites, meaning they can only perform basic tax returns. As such, services may not be provided for those filing an international return. If you would like to locate a tax site near you, please navigate to the Refund Ohio website for their tax site locator page.
How It Works
Quick and easy process.

1
Visit a Tax Site
Please see the tax site locator to find a site near you.
2
Bring
Social Security Card
Photo ID
Tax Documents (W-2s, 1099s, etc.)
3
File
Allow VITA certified students and tax professionals to help you file your taxes.
4
File
Allow VITA certified students and tax professionals to help you file your taxes.
TAX CERTIFICATION TRAININGS NOW ONLINE
Looking to get involved, but want to get certified at your own pace. Our 2019 MyTaxPrepOffice software is now available, which means you can complete the whole certification process online. We've included a short description of how to do that below:As an extra note: you will have two chances to pass the test. A passing score is 80%.If you have any difficulty, email Maggie Campbell at mcampbell@enterprisecommunity.org

1
Start with Google Chrome
Open two tabs in a Google Chrome browser - software does NOT WORK in Internet Explorer or Edge
2
Visit the websites
In each tab separately, go to Link & Learn (linklearncertification.com) and Coalition Tax Software (app.mytaxprepoffice.com)
3
Registration
For Link & Learn, you will need to create an account, or log in to your existing account. This will take you to the test. Remember: if you exit the test before you are done it may not save your answers.
4
Test preparation
MyTaxPrepOffice is the practice software for what we use at all our tax sites. You can use this to prepare the certification test's scenarios. In order to get access to the software, first email our Program Officer, Maggie Campbell, at mcampbell@e nterprisecommunity.org
5
Helpful resource
Download Publication 4012, it is a very helpful resource. Please make sure the link to the 4012 takes you to the 2019 version. You can also search for this document on irs.gov.
6
You're ready to Volunteer!
Once you have completed both tests, you will need to sign the volunteer agreement. You will do this on Link & Learn, while signed in under your testing username. On the right side of the screen, you will see a check box. When you click that box, you are signing your agreement electronically. To open the agreement, use the “Click here" option right below the check box. You can then save and email that agreement to Maggie Campbell at mcampbell@e nterprisecommunity.org
Becoming a volunteer!
Through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, you can give free tax preparation and electronic filing service to low-to-moderate income families who need assistance in preparing their tax returns. The following instructions are for the online training and testing. During the early season of VITA, our chapter provides opportunities to train and test in-person. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to our Director of VITA.

1
Training
For online training visit https://www.refundohio.org/volunteer-today-1/volunteer-today.
2
Testing and Certification
For online testing, you will have two chances to pass the test. A passing score is 80%. Here are some instructions.
Navigate to either options: (Internet Explorer and Safari work best.)
a. www.linklearncertification.com
b. https://vita.ta xslayerpro.com/IRSTraining/en/Account/Access
In website (a), you will need to click create an account. This will take you to the test.
In Website (b), you will need to type “TRAINPROWEB” and then create a new user. This is the practice software. You can use this to prepare the test scenarios.
You can exit and enter the test as needed. Remember to download Publication 4012, as it is a very helpful resource.
Once you have completed both tests, you will need to sign off on the volunteer agreement. You will do this at website (a), while signed in under your testing username. On the right side of the screen, you will see a check box. When you click that box, you are signing your agreement electronically. To open the agreement, use the “Click here’ option right below the check box. You can then save and email that agreement to Chuck Ackerman at cackerman@refundohio.org.
3
Complete Your Agreement
Once you have completed both tests, you will need to sign off on the volunteer agreement. You will do this at website (a), while signed in under your testing username. On the right side of the screen, you will see a check box. When you click that box, you are signing your agreement electronically. To open the agreement, use the “Click here’ option right below the check box. You can then save and email that agreement to Chuck Ackerman at cackerman@refundohio.org.
4
Verification
Lastly, please email that agreement or forward your email to Chuck to bap-pi@case.edu and we will credit half of the on-site training volunteer hours to the online participants.
5
You're ready to Volunteer!
Once you're on our certified VITA list, you will be contacted by our Director of VITA.
Gallery
Photos from our VITA events.