THOMASVILLE- Thomas University students are ready to assist community members in preparing their income tax returns free of charge through the partnership of Thomas University and the Internal Revenue Service.

TU will serve as a site for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) services. VITA certified student volunteers will help prepare the income tax returns of eligible individuals Wednesday afternoons. Walk-in service will be available between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the Thomas University Genealogical Library on the Forbes Campus.

Individuals eligible for VITA services are those who earn an annual income of $67,000 or less, persons with disabilities, or limited English-speaking taxpayers. Student volunteers can also assist members and veterans of the military for the first time this year.

Individuals must have their tax information such as W-2, 1099, 1098, or 1095 form, along with their social security cards or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number letters for all persons on their tax return, a government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license, and banking information such as a void check at their walk-ins.

Bonnie Levine-Berggren, a business adjunct professor, will be the on-site Program Coordinator. Student volunteers are certified tax return preparers. They have passed the Volunteer Standards of Conduct certification exam and have been successful in the Intake, Interview, and Quality Review exam to help obtain client information. They have also taken a VITA-based advanced military course.

For more information, please contact Levine-Berggren at bberggren@thomasu.edu.