ACC-164 - VITA

3 credits

This course enables students to learn tax vocabulary and concepts such as filing status, personal and dependency exemptions, wages, interest and dividends, alimony, unemployment and Social Security benefits, penalty on early withdrawal of savings, standard deduction, limited itemized deductions, child tax credit, child and dependent care credit, earned income tax credit, form W-4, etc. Students must complete a combination of training provided by both the IRS and STCC that prepares them to provide low income community members with assistance filing income tax returns. Students must complete the IRS-portion of the course and successfully pass the certification examination offered at its conclusion. When those two requirements are satisfied, students must also attend tax software and volunteer orientation sessions offered by the college. Students must volunteer approximately 8-9 hours per week during the tax season (late January through April 15 or the day that taxes are due) with the guidance of a VITA coordinator. The work will provide students with one-on-one client interactions: direct work experience, confidence, and a possible reference for future employment. This also allows the student the opportunity to perform community service.