RICHMOND, Va. — Tax filing season is underway, and you have just 39 days left to file, pay any taxes owed, or request an extension to file if you haven't done so already.
If you or your family make less than $67,000 per year, you are eligible for free help filing your taxes through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which is run by the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg.
The program includes more than 180 volunteers, and 60 of those donations come from University of Richmond students.
Through this program, which has been around for more than a decade across Central Virginia, students and community members can become IRS-certified and volunteer at one of 12 sites across the region.
Lauren Hollister, director of community relationships at the University of Richmond, says students are gaining valuable life skills that they can’t learn in the classroom.
"With this program, they can take what they're learning in the classroom and apply it to a real-world scenario," said Hollister. "And the big piece that is so important is the human connection. So getting what you can't learn in the classroom is how to interact with someone from the community, someone who's maybe a different generation than you, a different background than you, being able to ask the right questions, being able to explain a tax return, and so that the person is coming away feeling informed and empowered."
Last year, program volunteers helped more than 3,300 community members recover $3.6 million in tax refunds and save more than $845,000 in preparation fees.
The IRS is warning that it could take a little longer for taxpayers to receive their refunds this year with the recent layoffs at the agency.
Fortunately, Hollister says they haven’t seen any major delays for the people they’ve helped so far.
"I would recommend people, once they have all their tax forms, come to our tax site and get their tax returns prepared as soon as possible," she explained. "It is an uncertain time, and so far, we're able to operate without any issue, and people are getting their refunds. So I would just encourage everyone to come in as soon as possible, and so far, we haven't had any sort of issues on our end, as far as getting things processed and going on time."
If you’re interested in the program, you can walk in or sign up online for an appointment here.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky| Facebook| Instagram| X| Threads| TikTok| YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
