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Free tax preparation help available at Mizzou

University will open Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites for 2018 tax season

January 23rd, 2018

Story Contact: Sheena Rice, 573-882-8353, ricesm@missouri.edu

COLUMBIA, Mo. – As part of the land-grant mission of the University of Missouri, tax experts will open Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites from Jan. 23-April 17. Every tax season MU faculty, staff and students from the personal financial planning department in the College of Human Environmental Sciences, School of Law and Extension open these sites to help assist Missourians with their tax return preparation. Sites will be open around the state, including two on the MU campus and one in downtown Columbia.

Andrew Zumwalt, an assistant extension professor of personal financial planning and a member of the University of Missouri Extension faculty, says the VITA program not only helps Missourians file their taxes but also provides Mizzou students a great, hands-on learning experience, exemplifying the “Missouri Method” of real world exposure that will help Mizzou graduates as they enter the professional community.

“Those who qualify can have their tax returns prepared for free, and students learn how to communicate with clients about money in a hands-on, applied way,” Zumwalt said. “Student tax preparers have been through IRS training and certification. Through this experience, they are given the opportunity to put their training into real-world practice.”

The MU campus VITA sites are located in the Office for Financial Success Room 162, Stanley Hall and in Room 005, Cornell Hall.

  • The Stanley Hall site will be open 3:30-7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
  • The Cornell Hall site will be open 4:15-7:45 p.m. on Mondays.
  • A site also will be open 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Family Impact Center at 105 E. Ash St.
  • To search for VITA sites around Missouri, visit: http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep.

Zumwalt encourages Missourians to stop by any of the MU Extension VITA sites around the state if they need help or have any questions about whether they qualify for an ACA exemption or other tax credits. Missourians also can file their taxes for free online at a new online VITA website: www.MyFreeTaxes.com.

VITA is an IRS-sponsored program that provides free tax preparation assistance for low- to moderate- income-level homes. Trained community volunteers may help with special credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled. In addition to free tax return preparation assistance, most sites also offer free electronic filing. Last year, MU VITA sites served more than 10,000 Missouri families; approximately 2,000 filed at the MU campus VITA sites.

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