Need help with your taxes? Here's how to get free, in-person assistance in metro Phoenix

Russ Wiles, Arizona Republic
·3 min read

Like pretty much everything else, the cost to prepare income-tax returns has risen with inflation. Average return-preparation expenses are up 6.2% over the past 12 months through January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But there are some tax-help programs unaffected by climbing consumer-price levels because they’re free. Two options for taxpayers with incomes at or below $60,000 combine free preparation with in-person assistance.

These are the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs staffed by volunteers certified by the Internal Revenue Service. The VITA and TCE programs are held at dozens of libraries, schools, community centers and other sites around the Phoenix area and hundreds more nationally, with the AARP Foundation's Tax-Aide program one of the major participants.

Chandler resident Wendy Richardson, a full-time student who earned part-time income last year, was having her return prepared recently with help from volunteer Tricia Hulin at a VITA site at Scottsdale Community College. It’s Richardson’s second year using the VITA program, and she prefers it to the online, do-it-yourself tax-prep programs that cost her around $150 the last time she used one.

The regular tax filing due date of April 15 remains the same.
The regular tax filing due date of April 15 remains the same.

“The people here are knowledgeable and incredibly nice,” Richardson said of the VITA volunteers.

Hulin, a Scottsdale resident in her seventh year of volunteering part-time, likes the challenge of helping people prepare their returns and receive the credits and deductions to which they’re entitled, likening the process to solving a puzzle.

“I think it’s fun,” she said.

Many Arizonans qualify for tax assistance

The programs are open to people with incomes generally below $60,000 or so, with fairly uncomplicated returns, along with disabled individuals and those for whom English is a second language. The Census Bureau estimates median household incomes in Arizona at around $66,000, so many of the state's residents could qualify.

The volunteers don't prepare returns that require federal Schedule E for rental properties or other situations where depreciation is involved, said Jim Simpson, a certified public accountant who oversees the program at Scottsdale Community College and four other locations. Volunteers also don’t prepare returns involving cryptocurrency transactions and those for small businesses generating a loss or with more than $35,000 in expenses, Simpson said.

Returns typically take about two hours to prepare and file and taxpayers can speed the process by having their paperwork in order. Many gig or part-time workers might have the option to deduct transportation and other costs “but often have no idea what their expenses are,” Simpson said.

Some VITA and TCE sites accept walk-ins, but reservations are recommended to ensure adequate staffing.

Other program features

Many people might confuse the VITA/TCE programs with IRS Free File, a program through which moderate-income individuals can use software to prepare their returns for free but without in-person assistance.

Taxpayers also might assume they won't receive as large of a refund going with a free service staffed by volunteers, but the software used in the VITA/TCE program will prompt preparers to ask about breaks such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Retirement Saver's Credit. Another benefit: The VITA/TCE volunteers don't try to sell other financial services, as is often the case at for-profit companies.

The IRS describes the programs as a "reliable and trusted source for preparing tax returns." Volunteers in the programs must take and pass tax-law training that includes maintaining taxpayer privacy and the confidentiality of their information. All returns are checked for quality before they are filed.

Anyone interested in finding a nearby location and making an appointment should go to irs.gov and search for "find a location for free tax help" or go to https://www.irs.gov/individuals/find-a-location-for-free-tax-prep. Some 46 sites are listed within a 50-mile radius of downtown Phoenix. Taxpayers also may call 800-906-9887 or 888-227-7669.

Reach the writer at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Free tax help: How to get help filing tax in metro Phoenix