[Natfinwellness] VITA Site Set-Up

[Hagan, Timothy]

Hello All,

Wichita State University has operated an IRS approved "stand alone" Facilitated Self-Assistance (FSA) site through our Office for Student Money Management for several years. FSAs use www.myfreetaxes.com<http://www.myfreetaxes.com> as the platform for tax preparation. Our FSA has helped students, faculty and staff prepare and file their own free federal and state income taxes.

If you click on the MyFreeTaxes link you'll see that the site is supported by the National United Way. Last year the income limitation for a free federal and up to 3 state returns, if needed, was $62,000 AGI. MyFreeTaxes uses the H&R Block online tax preparation software that has been donated "in-kind" to support this national free tax prep effort.

FSAs have several advantages as compared to a traditional VITA site. For example, one person who has passed IRS VITA training, with proper documentation through your local VITA program, can help more than one taxpayer at a time.  Another advantage is that people who have never done their own taxes on the past feel a sense of empowerment when they successfully file on their own, with whatever help they need as provided by trained volunteers.

The United Way encourages FSAs to openly promote and market the MyFreeTaxes website so that people will try it out own their own, establish accounts, and attempt to do their tax returns. This is often successful. However, if the taxpayer needs assistance it can be offered when the person with a question contacts your FSA site for help. The IRS factsheet, linked below, sanctions helping more than one person at a time and helping people over the phone. FSAs are particularly suited to the higher education environment since most people at a school are at least somewhat familiar with using a keyboard, websites, and the internet.

We found out about doing and FSA through our local VITA program. Page 70 of the document at this link briefly defines/describes the FSA program:  https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1084.pdf.

For International Students, we have found that the Glacier Tax Prep program, a commercial product, is designed to assist people who need to file a 1040NR (non-resident) type of tax return. Here is the link to that product: https://www.glaciertax.com. Most "free" commercial products like Turbo Tax, can't prepare a 1040NR product. We have found that some international students have mistakenly used free online software  and have discovered they could receive tax refunds through deductions, exemptions or credits, such as the education credit, for which they are probably not eligible.

You'll note on the Glacier website that schools can purchase a license so that multiple students can have a code to access Glacier to do their federal (only) paper filed income tax return. At Wichita State, the Office of International Education has purchased an Institutional Site License for several years and placed the access code in a defined area of the student account for international students so they can access the program for free. International students soon find out that there is an office helping people do taxes on campus if you have a VITA or FSA site. However, doing non-resident tax returns is "out of scope" for most VITA/FSA sites.

Please feel free to send a separate email to tim.hagan at wichita.edu<mailto:tim.hagan at wichita.edu> if you have any questions about FSAs or think you might need to prepare for being "caught in the throes of a dilemma" when international students find you are helping students do their tax returns for free.

Best Regards,

Tim Hagan, MBA
Financial Literacy Project Coordinator
Office of Student Success
1845 Fairmount, Campus Box 97
Wichita, KS 67260
316-978-3211
tim.hagan at wichita.edu
www.mycollegemoneyplan.org
@CollegeCostTips
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From: Natfinwellness [mailto:natfinwellness-bounces at lists.osu.edu] On Behalf Of Pellegrini, Andrea
Sent: Monday, September 12, 2016 12:38 PM
To: National Financial Wellness Listserv <natfinwellness at lists.osu.edu>
Cc: Bauer, Charlotte D <bauersmi at illinois.edu>
Subject: [Natfinwellness] VITA Site Set-Up

Hello all!

I may have asked this last year, but it came up in a meeting again today...

What has been your experience(s) with VITA tax prep sites at a college or university?
What's required?
What have been your challenges?
What have been the successes?
And anything else you can provide!

Sincerest of thanks in advance!

Best,
Andrea

Andrea Pellegrini, Assistant Director

USFSCO - Providing Solutions
Student Money Management Center
P: 217.333.6228<tel:217.333.6228>
apelleg3 at uillinois.edu<mailto:apelleg3 at uillinois.edu>


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