Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program

The Robins School of Business offers a half-unit course for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. You do not need to be a business student or complete any prerequisites to register for VITA I. There are three courses offered:

• VITA I: CRN 21327 (no prerequisites)
• VITA II: CRN 21328 (must have taken VITA I)
• VITA III: CRN 22685 (must have taken VITA II)

All students enrolled in the course must attend one of the training weekends:

• Friday, January 17th, 12:30-3:30pm & Saturday, January 18th, 9am-4pm; OR
• Friday, January 24th, 12:30-3:30pm & Saturday, January 25th, 9am-4pm

Students must also complete 25 service hours throughout the semester at UR’s downtown tax site or one of the other 13 tax sites in Richmond. And meet course requirements including writing a reflection paper. The CCE will provide transportation to four of the tax sites.

VITA II students will be trained on-site as Quality Reviewers and provide support for newer volunteers.

VITA III students will be trained as assistant site coordinators and will also be able to conduct on-campus tax preparation.

Student Volunteering Outside of the VITA Course

Students may also become a volunteer for the VITA program without registering for the half-unit course, as a tax preparer or in a non-tax role (Greeter/Screener). Students who volunteer are not required to volunteer a certain number of hours or meet course requirements, however it is encouraged that students volunteer for about one shift a week. Contact Sasha Hollister at shollist@richmond.edu to learn more.

This position will support the operation of the CCE’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site. VITA is a program of the United Way which provides free tax preparation services to low and moderate income families. The CCE operates one of the 13 VITA sites in the region which is located in downtown Richmond. Our site is staffed with community and student volunteers who are trained by the United Way and the CCE. The Program Associate will work on campus out of the CCE office but has the opportunity to visit and work at the downtown location from time to time if interested. The VITA Program Associate is expected to work 4-6 hours a week. Hours are generally between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., but could include other evening/weekend programs with prior notification.

The VITA Program Associate will support the operation of the program through client communication, data tracking, data entry, logisitical support, scheduling client appointments, creating support materials, and other duties as assigned. This position starts November 4, 2024 and runs through the spring 2025 semester.

View the job description here. 

Apply here.

Applications will be accepted through Thursday, Octobre 17. Interviews will take place October 21 & 22. 

The IRS’s Volunteer Inomce and Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free basic tax return preparation for qualified individuals, including:

• People who generally make $64,000 or less
• Persons with disabilities; and
• Limited English-speaking taxpayers

In addition to VITA, the TCE program offers free tax help, particularly for those who are 60 years of age and older, specializing in questions about pensions and retirement-related issues unique to seniors.

The University of Richmond’s tax site is located at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 815 E Grace St. Richmond, VA 23219. Our hours of operation are going to be updated by the end of the year.

University of Richmond’s VITA site is located at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 815 E Grace St. Richmond, VA 23219. The entrace is on 9th St., between Grace St. and Franklin St. 

There is limited free parking in St. Paul’s parking garage for tax clients. Parking is available on a first come, first serve basis. Please let the attendant know that you are visiting the tax site.

The nearest bus stops are:

• Pulse Bus stop at Government Center
• Bus #5 to 9th & Main
• Bus #14 to 5th & Grace

For University of Richmond student volunteers, please contact the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement for free transportation to the tax site.

You can make an appointment at University of Richmond’s downtown tax site here:

Make a Tax Appointment Here

You can also contact urdvita@gmail.com or leave a message with (804) 505-4906 for help in making an appointment.

We also have limited capacity to accept walk-ins on a first come, first served basis. Appointments are highly recommended.

The CCE is hosting a free on-campus tax clinic for University of Richmond faculty, staff, and students who have a household income of $64,000 or less.. Our tax clinic is operating on Friday, March 1 from 8am - 11am & 2pm - 5pm. We are not qualified to prepare foreign student returns. 

Sign Up for an On-Campus Appointment

If you are filing a joint return, your spouse must also be present for us to electronically file. 

There is one VITA site in the Richmond region that is qualified to prepare foreign student tax returns. Once we recieve information about the dates and times for that tax site, we will share it here.

Unfortunately, the University of Richmond’s tax site isn’t qualified to prepare foreign student returns.

WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR APPOINTMENT

To prepare for your appointment, please bring the following documents with you. We cannot prepare your taxes without these:

• Social Security card (yours, spouse, dependents) - we can accept a photo or copy of your social security card
• Government-issued photo ID (e.g., driver’s license, state I.D.)
• All of your income tax documents (e.g., W-2, SSA-1099, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-G, 1099-R)
• If a student, 1098-T
• If you have health insurance through the Marketplace, 1095-A
• Other tax documents
• If you’d prefer direct deposit for tax refunds, bring your bank routing and account number
• IF MARRIED FILING JOINTLY, your spouse must also be present during the appointment

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

You should reserve at least 90 minutes for your appointment. During your appointment you will meet with a tax preparer and a quality reviewer as part of the two-step process of this program. Your appointment time will depend on the number of tax returns we are preparing for you, the number of tax forms you have, and how many available Quality Reviewers we have.

If you need to leave early, we can re-schedule you to return.

GETTING A HEAD START

To save time during your appointment, you can complete the intake form ahead of time and bring it with you or email it to shollist@richmond.edu  with your name and appointment date. Here is a link to the intake form.

ACCOMMODATIONS

The tax site is accessible by wheel chair. We also offer over-the-phone interpretation services in over 120 languages. If there is another accommodation that you would like to request, please notify Sasha Hollister at shollist@richmond.edu. Please allow us two weeks to make a reasonable accommodation.

TAX RETURNS THAT ARE OUT-OF-SCOPE

There are some tax returns that we are not qualified to prepare at our site. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Non-resident alien tax returns
• Foreign student tax returns
• Income from rental property
• Received, sold, exchanged, gifted or disposed of virtual currency (or financial interest in a digital asset). If you purchased virtual currency with real currency, that is in scope.
• Tax returns for years 2017 and prior

Should you have any further questions, please contact urdvita@gmail.com or leave a message at (804) 505-4906.