by PegNews wire

Volunteer tax preparers provide free basic tax return preparation for low to moderate income families in Denton County.

DENTON — United Way of Denton County is seeking volunteers for its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites in 2010. The majority of the need is for volunteer tax preparers, but the sites will also require a number of volunteers for positions such as greeter, translator, and quality assurance.

Volunteer tax preparers provide free basic tax return preparation for low to moderate income families in Denton County. Each volunteer tax preparer will need to complete tax preparation training and certification, including instruction on the use of electronic filing software. Basic computer skills are required in order to volunteer as a tax preparer.

Training begins Saturday, January 9, but volunteers are encouraged to sign up early. Upon successful completion of training, volunteer preparers will provide high-quality tax assistance to local families, as well as inform them about any additional tax credits they might be eligible for.

In 2009, VITA’s 14 volunteer tax preparers completed 230 returns for a total of $271,052 in refunds for the 2008 tax year.

Training will take from 10 to 12 hours to complete. Volunteers are asked to give from two to four hours of their time each week to assist at centers from early February through April 15.

To volunteer at the VITA sites as a tax preparer, or for any of the other VITA volunteer opportunities, contact Judy Smith at 940-383-1508, or Brooke Moore at 940-566-5851. Training materials will be available at the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program offices at 1400 Crescent Street, Suite 3, or the United Way of Denton County office, located at 625 Dallas Drive, Suite 525, in Denton.

Source: United Way of Denton County

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