Welcome to the University of Oregon Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program!
VITA stands for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance working on behalf of the IRS to serve the Lane County community in completing their tax returns by the 2024 deadline.
If you have questions about the program, please email Jeremy Brands at jbrands@uoregon.edu.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
We have resolved the TaxSlayer software issues and will again be able to provide our services moving forward. You can find our dates and times of operation below, as well as the required documentation and scope of service for our site. Thank you so much for your patience during the resolution of this difficult situation!
INFORMATION FOR TAXPAYERS
Below is important information for taxpayers who would like to use our services this tax season. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to Jeremy Brands at jbrands@uoregon.edu.
CLIENT INTEREST FORM:
We are excited to assist you this tax season! To help us anticipate workflow and better prepare for your visit, we ask that you fill out our client interest form here.
SITE OPERATIONS THIS YEAR:
Our site model operates on an in-person model. We will only prepare returns on-site and are unable to accommodate any distance/ remote returns.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR TAXPAYERS:
Please remember to bring the following with you:
Photo ID
for both spouses, must be valid
Social Security Card AND Dates of Birth
You must bring either a Social Security Card (Physical or Electronic) or an official government form that contains the entire Social Security Number
W-2s are not a valid form of social security identification
For all people on the tax return (You, spouse, all dependents
W-2 Forms
These are forms showing your wage and tax information
Bring one from each employer in 2023 (if you had two jobs & employers bring 2 W-2 forms)
1099 Forms
These show your sources of income (interest, dividends, other sources)
From banks, brokerages, contract work, or any other source of income
Proof of Deductible Costs
Receipts showing education expenses including books
Proof of daycare costs
Charitable contribution receipts
Proof of any other deductible costs
Form 13614-C
Download here and complete the form prior to VITA intake/interview
1095-A, -B, or -C Form
Shows health coverage
1099-SA Forms
If you have a health savings account
OPTIONAL:
Checking Account & Routing Number
Bring only if you want your tax return to be deposited directly into your account
Bring a blank check to show this information
Prior Year Tax Returns
MAKE SURE WE CAN PREPARE YOUR RETURN:
Please consult the official IRS Scope of Service list here
All volunteers will be certified at the advanced level, not the military or international level
DATES OF SITE OPERATION:
We will be accepting clients from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM, or whenever the Site Management staff determines that capacity has been reached, in the Lillis Business Complex on each of the following dates. The preparation and review timeline takes approximately 2 hours, so please ensure that you can be physically present for the entire time. See below for the dates of operation:
February 2024
17th
24th
March 2024
2nd
9th
April 2024
6th
13th
BECOMING A VOLUNTEER
Below are instructions on how to become a certified volunteer for each of the roles in the UO VITA program. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to Jeremy Brands at jbrands@uoregon.edu
REMINDERS:
● Please dress in Business Casual attire.
● We are continuing to accept volunteers. Please follow the instructions below if interested.
VOLUNTEER ROLES:
Greeters:
The Greeters position requires individuals to check in clients and hand out intake forms prior to the tax preparation process. Greeters are expected to treat clients with respect and offer positive customer service. They are expected to cross-check the out-of-scope checklist for clients who cannot be serviced.
Greeters are not expected to be able to answer all tax-related questions and must be responsible for reaching out to another volunteer about more complex questions. Greeters are expected to dress in business casual attire and remain until 2:45 when check-in closes. Greeters, please bring your personal laptops to facilitate check-in.
Client Facilitator’s (CF’s):
The Client Facilitator’s position communicates with clients after they have received and filled out their intake forms. CFs assign clients to specific volunteers and serve as an intermediary between preparers, reviewers, and printers. The CFs are in charge of keeping track of the availability of fellow volunteers using google spreadsheets. CFs are expected to maintain organization and communicate effectively with clients when the site becomes busy and wait times lengthen.
Client Facilitators do not need to be certified for the advanced exam but are required to attain the Intake/Interview and Quality Review Certification. Client Facilitators are expected to dress in business casual attire and remain until 4:00 pm when VITA concludes for the day.
Preparer:
The Tax Preparer’s position will use TaxSlayer software to prepare the 1040s of each client. Tax preparers are expected to utilize IRS handbooks and communicate with clients on their tax details.
Tax preparers are required to be certified in all 3 exams. Tax preparers are expected to dress in business casual attire and remain until 4:00 pm when VITA concludes for the day.
Reviewer:
The Reviewer’s position will confirm the details of the 1040s completed by the Tax Preparer. Reviewers are expected to pay attention to detail and have previous experience as a Tax Preparers.
Reviewers are required to be certified in all 3 exams. Reviewers are expected to dress in business casual attire and remain until 4:00 pm when VITA concludes for the day. All Reviewers please bring your personal laptops to facilitate the review process.
Printer:
Printer’s serve as the final step in the process. Printer’s are responsible for printing a completed and reviewed 1040 to deliver to the client. Printer’s are expected to submit an electronic copy of the 1040 to the IRS. Any documents left over with clients’ personal information are expected to be shredded.
The printer does not need to be certified for the advanced exam but is required to attain the Intake/Interview and Quality Review Certification. Printers are expected to dress in business casual attire and remain until 4:00 pm when VITA concludes for the day.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS:
Complete Volunteer Intake Form
*Training/volunteer meeting information will be sent to the emails generated from the form submissions
Certifications:
*Volunteers who are not certified with the advanced exam are not allowed to answer any tax-law related questions
To be a Greeter, Client Facilitator, or Printer volunteers need to pass:
● 2023 Volunteer Standards of Conduct Exam
● 2023 Intake/Interview and Quality Review Exam
To be an Advanced Tax Preparer and Quality Reviewer volunteers need to pass:
● 2023 Volunteer Standards of Conduct Exam
● 2023 Intake/Interview and Quality Review Exam
● 2023 Advanced Exam
Visit VITA/TCE Central to complete these tests. Check out this Instruction Sheet for further information.
TaxSlayer
The volunteer will prepare and e-file the tax returns using TaxSlayer. Click here to start practicing. Check out this instruction about the Practice Lab. A walkthrough of how to use TaxSlayer can be found here.
Helpful Resources
● Link and Learn Taxes e-Learning
● UO VITA 2022 YouTube channel
Slides from training videos
● Volunteer Standards of Conduct
● Intake/Interview and Quality Review
● Income
Materials you will need:
● Publication 4961 Volunteer Standards of Conduct
● Publication 5101 Intake/Interview and Quality Review Training
● Publication 4012 VITA/TCE Volunteer Resource Guide
● Publication 4491 VITA/TCE Training Guide
● Publication 6744 VITA/TCE Volunteer Assistor’s Test/Retest
● Use the TaxSlayer Practice Lab for the Advanced Exam scenarios
Volunteer Tax Alerts:
● VTA #1
● VTA #2
In-person training sessions at Lillis from 11:00 PM - 4:00 PM(optional):
● January 27th, 2024
● February 3rd, 2024
Office hours for exam help (in the Accounting Suite)
● Contact Jeremy Brands at jbrands@uoregon.edu
Files Required for Submission:
● Certification of 2023 Volunteer of Standards Conduct Exam (Required for all)
● Form 13615 Volunteer Standards of Conduct Agreement – VITA/TCE Programs (Required for all)
*Generate the form from Link and Learn. The system will pre-fill the form for you. Double-check to make sure all the information is correct. Click here to view an example.
● Certification of 2023 Intake/Interview and Quality Review Exam (Required for all except greeters)
● Certification of 2023 Advanced Exam (Preparer’s/Reviewer’s ONLY)
Submit Your Files
All files need to be received before being scheduled (preferably before February 1st).
Send a PDF copy of all your certifications, the completed (and signed) Form 13615, and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to jbrands@uoregon.edu
On the “Subject” line, type “VITA Certificates”.
