Marymount Manhattan College Students Prepare Over 100 Income Tax Returns as part of the 2013 VITA Program

MMC partnered with FoodBank and New York City Financial Network Action Consortium to make the service available to qualified New York City residents. The students volunteered at the Supportive Children’s Advocacy Network (SCAN) LaGuardia location and several FoodBank locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island.

The VITA program offers free income tax preparation assistance nationally to qualified families and individuals who have an income of $50,000 and below. The free income tax preparation service helps ensure that clients take advantage of tax credits to which they may be entitled, such as the Earned Income Credit, the Child Tax Credit and the Child and Dependent Care Credit.

In addition to serving New York City residents, the program provides valuable experience for the student volunteers. All volunteers complete a two-day training class taught by Professor Jill Beier to become Certified IRS Volunteer Tax Preparers. In addition, volunteers complete a one-day TaxWise software training class. 

Since 2011, more than 40 MMC students have volunteered with VITA and, collectively, prepared over 450 income tax returns that resulted in more than $650,000 of tax refunds to New York City residents.

Published: April 25, 2013