Students, IRS Lend a Hand : Free Help Available to Complete Tax Returns

A variety of free assistance programs for taxpayers facing the April 15 Internal Revenue Service deadline is available in the San Fernando Valley.

Among the programs are 20 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance offices staffed by 250 students from California State University, Northridge, most of whom are studying accounting. Hours vary at each center.

VITA assists individuals and families with a maximum gross income of $25,000.

Special services are also provided for non-English-speaking people, the handicapped and deaf, said Peter Rivera, VITA administrator for CSUN. Besides the trained student volunteers, IRS agents are available to review tax forms before they are returned to the taxpayer, Rivera said.

“Most of the people are pretty grateful they have somebody to help them because they don’t understand,” said Michele Kindlimann, 22, a CSUN volunteer.

Crowds Expected

Kindlimann said that, as the filing deadline approaches, larger crowds are expected at the centers.

“People will wait until the last minute, and we can’t help them all,” Kindlimann said. “Last year we had to turn a lot of people away.”

VITA is one of several free assistance programs available through the IRS until April 14 for middle- and low-income people nationwide. The IRS-trained volunteers usually work at centers in local libraries, schools and churches.

Information about CSUN’s VITA center is available by calling 885-4519. CSUN centers will be closed March 24-30 for spring break.

Besides VITA, two other programs are offered by the IRS, said Nancy Dixon, an IRS education coordinator. They are:

Tax Counseling for the Elderly, which helps people older than 55 with a maximum gross income of about $45,000.

Outreach, which schedules day and evening income tax seminars for business and community groups.

Dixon said taxpayers wanting assistance should bring tax forms, W-2 forms, records of interest and dividend payments, receipts and records for deductions, a copy of last year’s tax returns and any other tax-related material.

Because the IRS-trained volunteers have been instructed only in basic income tax laws, Dixon said, they will not be able to help individuals in preparing estimated taxes, income averaging or capital gain or loss forms.

More information may be obtained from the Los Angeles County IRS Taxpayer Education Coordinator, 213-894-4574, or 800-424-1040.

The tax information telephone number for deaf people with a TDD, or telecommunication device for the deaf, machine is 800-428-4732. Hours are 5 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. during the filing season.

Tax forms may be obtained by calling 572-7814.