Free income tax help available, but not in Floyd County

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Free income tax preparation help is available for low and moderate income people and senior citizens through the Iowa State University Extension Service and Outreach — but not in Floyd County.

In previous years the service has been offered in Charles City, but this year there were no Floyd County or Butler County volunteers to help out, said Brenda Schmitt, the family finance specialist for ISU Extension who serves this area.

“The sites are run by volunteers, so where I hold my sites is where I have volunteers,” Schmitt said. “I don’t have any volunteers in Charles City.”

The Extension Service tax help program is a part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA), funded by the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Human Services.

Free income tax help will be available this year in New Hampton, Osage and Mason City, Schmitt said.

Certified community volunteers prepare taxes with computer software and help with special tax credits such as the earned income tax credit, child tax credit, and credit for the elderly or disabled.

“We used to have sites in Forest City, Garner, Hampton, Greene,” Schmitt said. The opportunities for tax help have dwindled with the number of people willing to volunteer.

Volunteers need to be identified by August for the following year’s tax preparation season, Schmitt said. Training is held in the fall, and tax preparers need to pass an IRS test before they are allowed to help others with their taxes.

The test isn’t anything to be afraid of, Schmitt said. “I train them myself. I’ve never had anyone fail.”

All the training, materials and an encrypted computer to use are provided to volunteers free of charge through VITA and a grant from the Iowa Center for Economic Success. Mileage is paid for those who travel to their work sites.

“You can work as much or as little as you like,” Schmitt said. “We build the schedules around when you are available.”

Volunteers should like working with people and working with numbers, and not be afraid of technology since all the work is done on computers, she said.

People seeking tax help should call to make an appointment. The area Extension VITA programs this year are at:

• Chickasaw County ISU Extension, 104 E. Main St., New Hampton, 641-394-2174.

• Mitchell County ISU Extension, 315 Main St., Osage, 641-732-5574.

• Cerro Gordo County ISU Extension, 601 S. Federal Ave., Mason City, 641-423-0844.

Anyone who would like to volunteer to help in future years can call Schmitt at 641-423-0844.