DSU Accounting Students to Provide Free 2015 Tax Preparation
DSU Accounting Students to Provide Free 2015 Tax Preparation
Wednesday, January 28th, 2015
Students in Dixie State University's four-year accounting program, in association with the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, will once again provide free personal tax assistance to the community during the 2015 tax preparation season.
The program will be held in DSU Udvar-Hazy Business Building every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings beginning on Tuesday, February 3, and continuing through Thursday, March 5, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Following DSU's Spring Break (March 9-13), the VITA program will continue its service on Tuesdays only, beginning March 17 through April 14, from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Due to the popularity of the program, the public is invited to check-in at the Udvar-Hazy Building main desk (east entrance) on a first-come-first serve walk-in basis before each service day's session starting at 4 p.m. In addition, DSU will provide free ASL interpreters for the hearing impaired. For more information on the service, please contact the DSU Disability Resource Center at 435-652-7880.
The free tax preparation program, which is also sponsored by the Five County Association of Governments, is designed to assist low and middle-income individuals of all ages with a wide range of tax-return scenarios.
Tax preparation services will be provided by Dixie State accounting students who have completed basic, intermediate, and advanced IRS certification programs. Dixie State Accounting faculty, who are CPAs and also IRS certified, will supervise all tax preparation activities. The service also provides DSU accounting students gain practical experience as they prepare to graduate and enter the professional workforce.
During the 2014 tax season, DSU students provided more than 4,600 hours of community service, during which they assisted clients with 1,455 federal and 1,462 state tax returns to facilitate over $3.2 million in tax-related refunds back to the community. In addition, DSU VITA program also achieved the lowest IRS rejection rate in the entire Southern Utah Coalition.
Participating taxpayers should bring social security cards for each individual appearing on their tax returns (photocopies are acceptable); photo identification (self and spouse if joint filing); wage and earning statements (Form W-2) from all employers; SSA-1099, showing Social Security benefits; all types of 1099 forms; 1099-B forms should be accompanied by supporting documentation showing original asset purchase prices and sales proceeds. Taxpayers should also bring Form 1098 documenting their mortgage interest, mortgage insurance payments, and property tax payments; documentation to verify medical expenses, charitable contributions, and child care payments; any other relevant documentation related to their income and deductions; and a copy of their 2014 tax return.
Taxpayers desiring an automatic deposit of their federal and state tax refunds should also bring their bank account and bank routing numbers, both of which can be found on a check from their checkbooks. Taxpayers' completed federal and state returns will be e-filed, free of charge, to the IRS and the applicable states. For more additional information and forms, please visit www.utahtech.edu/taxes, or email taxinfo@utahtech.edu.
