Personal Finance: Ask the Experts: IRS wants volunteer tax preparers; no experience necessary

Personal Finance: Ask the Experts

Get advice on money matters from The Bee's Claudia Buck and a panel of local experts

August 27, 2012

IRS wants volunteer tax preparers; no experience necessary

Want to be an IRS tax preparer? The IRS is seeking volunteers to provide free tax help to seniors as well as taxpayers who are low-income, disabled or with limited English skills.

Calling it "people helping people," the IRS requires no previous experience. Volunteers will be trained and certified in how to prepare simple individual tax returns that can be filed electronically. Other volunteer jobs, such as greeters at tax centers, also are available.

"Yes, anyone can sign up. ...The only skill needed is the desire to help people in your community," said IRS spokesman Richard Panick in an email.

The free tax preparation is offered by the IRS and community groups, part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs. It's held at librries, community centers, schools and shopping centers.

Volunteers typically work 3-4 hours a week, between mid-January and April 15, 2013, which is next year's tax-filing deadline.

Last year, the IRS said nearly 99,000 volunteers prepared more than 3.3 million tax returns at more than 13,000 locations nationwide. To apply or for more details, go to irs.gov and click on "tax volunteer" in the search box.

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Claudia Buck is The Sacramento Bee's personal finance columnist. Read all her columns here. Contact her at cbuck@sacbee.com

Terri Carpenter

Terri Carpenter offers advice on job hunting, retraining and career counseling. Carpenter works at Sacramento Works Inc., the career and job training arm of the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA). With 15 years in the field, she has hands-on experience with everyone from first-time job seekers to career professionals seeking advice after a layoff or looking for a mid-career change. Ask her a question.

Carlena Tapella

Carlena Tapella is a partner in the law firm of Webb & Tapella Law Corp. in Sacramento. The firm specializes in estate planning and probate, such as estates, trusts, conservatorships and litigation. She is a past president of the Sacramento County Bar Association's Estate Planning & Probate Section. Ask her a question.

Kimberly Foss, certified financial planner, is the founder of Empyrion Wealth Management in Roseville. With nearly 30 years in the financial industry, her clients include women in transition, small business owners, retirees and "pre-retirees." Ask her a question.

Gregory Burke, a CPA and tax expert with John Waddell & Co. in Sacramento since 1984, worked as an IRS tax auditor for six years. He’s a past chairman of the California Society of CPAs. Ask him a question.

Daniel Tahara takes your questions about California taxes. Tahara, a spokesman for the state Franchise Tax Board, has 10 years of experience as a tax auditor. Ask him a question.