Free tax preparation program seeking volunteers for Western Pa. sites

Jason Werner didn’t know much about taxes when he volunteered to help prepare them for others.

The Atlanta native, attending the University of Pittsburgh in pursuit of a finance degree, had worked in high school and done summer jobs. But his parents always did his taxes.

“I had no prior experience of knowledge about taxes, financing or accounting. I didn’t learn any of that in high school,” said Werner, 21, a college senior.

Werner volunteered as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, program, which provides free tax preparation services for the elderly, low- and moderate-income households, people with disabilities and — frequently in Werner’s case — foreign exchange students and people from other countries.

“There are different tax treaties depending on the country, and international tax stuff is pretty complex,” he said. “We went through a training session, and we did train specifically for international returns. There’s a specific software that also helps with them.”

Werner and more than 30 other Pitt students volunteered for VITA through the Free Tax Prep Coalition of Southwest PA, which prepared nearly 8,000 returns for the 2022 tax year. Across the U.S., more than 3,800 VITA sites operate annually, serving 1.3 million clients in 2022, according to Jordan Hunter, media relations consultant for economic-justice nonprofit Prosperity Now.

AARP regularly hosts tax prep sites in Lower Burrell, Springdale, Murrysville, North Huntingdon, Trafford, Penn Township, Delmont and a host of other areas. IRS officials said a full list of tax prep sites is typically published by early February as a searchable database at IRS.gov/vita.

Hunter said the coalition is looking to recruit not just more students, but also other community members who can train and help others with tax prep.

Werner learning how to file taxes properly was the easy part of the training.

“For me, it helped with just sitting down and talking to people I don’t know,” he said. “It was difficult at first, but the best way we learned was just kind of getting thrown into it.”

Last year, Werner worked as a preparer, and when he finished a return, it would be handed off to a second volunteer for review.

“This year I’ll be a reviewer,” he said.

Hunter said the typical client saves an average of $323 on the cost of tax preparation by having it done at a VITA site.

For more, including eligibility for VITA tax prep help, see PA211.org/vita. To sign up and volunteer, see SWPAfreetaxes.org.