Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

Tax Preparation Times

Tax Preparation begins Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Location will be in Western Hemispheric Trade Center (WHT) 126.

Phone: 956.326.2928
Email: vitalaredo@tamiu.edu

About VITA

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is an IRS-sponsored program that offers free tax return preparation and general tax help to families and individuals. In Webb and Zapata counties in Texas the program is designed for families and individuals with incomes of $75,000 or less. VITA especially looks to provide services for the underserved, including persons with disabilities, the elderly, and those for whom English is a second language. Many TAMIU students become IRS-certified tax preparers and receive class credit for their VITA service hours. TAMIU has hosted a VITA site since 2011.

The VITA program requires and provides Internal Revenue Service (IRS) certification courses in tax law, which are free, for all its volunteers, who are drawn from several walks of life. Students and employees TAMIU. Once certified, volunteers help citizens and non-citizens alike*; they especially seek to help those who, due to educational and/or language deficiencies, or due to age or disability, would be unable to navigate the income tax process alone.

TAMIU goals are to help low to moderate-income families with free income tax assistance, financial literacy and education, asset building, and workforce development. As part of this mission, TAMIU delivers the VITA program in Webb and Zapata counties in Texas. In these counties, as across the nation, the VITA program creates a substantial economic impact.

If you would like to get your taxes prepared for free, or have other questions, call 956.326.2928.

Student Learning Outcomes

Many TAMIU students are Advanced IRS-certified volunteers and ready to help! Students who participate in the VITA program develop transferable skills to better equip themselves for future career opportunities. They also get to know their own community better. As volunteers in the VITA program, TAMIU students acquire several transferable skills:

• Interpersonal skills
• Practical skills
• Knowledge of federal tax law
• Personal responsibility
• Problem-solving
• School pride

In order to prevent fraud, IRS guidelines stipulate that VITA volunteers must ask taxpayers for ID at its tax sites in addition to an original Social Security card or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). An original Social Security card or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) must be provided for every person listed on the tax return. However—and this is a widespread misconception, especially in U.S. border regions—the VITA program is not concerned with the legality of an individual’s citizenship status or U.S. residence (and neither is the IRS); many non-citizens pay taxes. Anyone with taxable U.S. income and a Social Security card or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is eligible, regardless of their state of residence in the U.S., provided the complexity of the return is within the scope of the VITA program. Volunteers learn during tax law training which kinds of returns are in and out of scope.

What to Bring

For TAMIU to be able to do your taxes, you need to bring the following items if you have them:

1. Proof of identification.
2. Social security Cards for you, your spouse and dependents and/or a Social Security Number verification letter issued by the Social Security Administration.
3. Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) assignment letter for you, your spouse and dependents.
4. Birth dates for you, your spouse and dependents on the tax return.
5. Wage and earning statement(s) Form W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, from all employers. Interest and dividend statement(s) FROM BANKS (Forms 1099-DIV / 1099-INT), 1099-NEC Self Employment.
6. Bank routing numbers and account numbers for Direct Deposit. A copy of your check or deposit slip.
7. Total paid for daycare provider and the daycare provider's tax identifying number (the provider's Social Security Number or the provider's business Employer Identification Number).
8. To file taxes electronically on a married-filing-joint tax return, both spouses must be present to sign the required forms.
9. Form 1095-A Health Insurance Marketplace. (If you had insurance purchased through an outside insurance company)
10. ID Theft PIN letter from IRS. (if you had one before, you will need one for all your future tax filings)