United Way seeks volunteers for tax preparation

The United Way of Denton County is seeking volunteers for its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

While the organization is looking primarily for volunteer tax preparers, the sites will also require a number of other volunteers with skills such as greeting, translating and quality assurance. 

Volunteer tax preparers provide free basic tax return preparation training and certification for low-to-moderate income workers. Basic computer skills are required in order to volunteer as a tax preparer.

Upon successful completion of training, volunteers will provide tax assistance to local families, as well as inform them about any additional tax credits they might be eligible for. Training will take about 10 to 12 hours to complete.

In 2007, the IRS estimated that over $16 million in tax credits went unclaimed by Denton County residents.

In 2009, volunteers prepared and submitted 230 tax forms. The United Way of Denton County, VITA program saved Denton residents about $47,861 in tax preparation alone. In addition, volunteers found $216,000 in refunds for participants.