UMaine Accounting Students Offering Free Help with Tax Returns
Contact: Steven Colburn, 581-1982; George Manlove, 581-3756
ORONO — University of Maine Business School accounting students under the supervision of accounting professor Steven Colburn are offering free income tax assistance to the public on Monday afternoons through April 14.
The long-standing UMaine Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) is designed for low- to moderate-income taxpayers, people with disabilities, the elderly or students who need help, but the service will be provided to anyone on campus or in surrounding communities with basic tax assistance needs. It is sponsored by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
Taxpayers will be assisted on an appointment basis Mondays from 2-4 p.m. in the D.P. Corbett Business Building, behind the Maine Center for the Arts on the Orono campus. Taxpayers seeking assistance must first call Colburn at 581-1982 or email him (steve.colburn@umit.maine.edu) to make an appointment.
Filers should bring W-2 forms from all employers, Forms 1099 (for dividends and interest), if applicable, and any other forms or information regarding income, deductions or credits. Volunteers can download tax forms from the IRS website, if needed, and also can file returns electronically. ~
All of the student volunteers have taken tax preparation courses and are up to date on the latest tax law changes; Colburn double-checks each return before filing. The program is a benefit for taxpayers in the community and is good training for accounting students, Colburn says.
More than 100 people from the Old Town-Orono communities, including UMaine students, typically receive assistance each tax season.