STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University students want to do your taxes. From now until April 15, members of Beta Alpha Psi honor society are offering free tax return services open to anyone who makes less than $60,000 a year.
Alan Stancill, faculty adviser for Beta Alpha Psi and clinical assistant professor at MSU, said he remembers participating in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program during his undergraduate degree at East Carolina University. He sees the VITA program as a “win-win” for the community and the students.
“There’s the benefit to the community of having this free service available, and then for our students, it gives them some real world experience that they’re not getting in the classroom,” Stancill said. “I can teach them about taxes, and I can teach them how to do a tax return … but this actually puts them out in the real world interacting with taxpayers … understanding and dealing with different situations.”
The VITA program was founded by the IRS in 1971 and offers free tax help to people who make $60,000 or less, people with disabilities, the elderly and taxpayers who speak limited English. The $60,000 limit represents a ceiling where taxes may become too complicated for a volunteer, Stancill said.
The students go through an extensive training course provided by the IRS and have to pass an exam in order to participate in the VITA program. They also receive training on safeguarding citizens’ private information.
“The IRS has very strict rules about the training you have to go through to do tax returns, to make sure that you’re qualified for the work that you’re doing,” Stancill said. “There’s a certification test that you have to take and pass to prepare tax returns.”
Stancill said there should be no liability on the university or Beta Alpha Psi, “as long as we’re following the IRS’s policies.”
Though the program is nationwide, this is the first year that Beta Alpha Psi at MSU has participated. Beta Alpha Psi students are being incentivized to participate in the VITA program through service hours, which can apply to the honor society’s requirements. Students in Stancill’s tax preparation class are also receiving credit towards their final class project.
Sarah Modzelewski, one of the Beta Alpha Psi students who participated in the first VITA tax session on Thursday, said she hopes to walk taxpayers through the process so they can do their own taxes next year.
“As a tax preparer, you should also explain every single step and item of the tax return,” Modzelewski said. “You need to explain what you believe is right, so your client can leave with the best information possible. Some people don’t have time to sit down and learn to do this, but that’s why other people become accountants.”
Though many taxpayers believe that getting a high tax refund is a good thing, Modzelewski said she hopes she doesn’t see “extreme” amounts on any tax returns.
“Hopefully, no one will have extreme amounts owed,” Modzelewski said. “The perfect goal would be that they owe nothing — that they owe the government nothing and the government owes them nothing. … If you get a refund, the government has been holding onto your money interest-free.”
If any issues arise while preparing tax returns, MSU faculty members are present to oversee the students’ work. Stancill assured The Dispatch that he will review the tax forms before they go out the door.
“Myself and one of our other faculty members are the site coordinators,” Stancill said. “Part of that is that we’re responsible for quality control and reviewing the returns that are done there, and both of us have prior experiences in the real world doing taxes.”
One of the participants in the students’ first tax session, Malia Schimminger, said she was excited to use the service to learn how to file her taxes independently for the first time.
“This is my first time filing as an independent filer and in Mississippi, so it was a brand new experience,” Schimminger said. “It was nice to sit down with someone who was far more knowledgeable than me.”
Schimminger said she had a “fantastic experience” with filing her taxes and felt confident in her tax return. Though she declined to share the amount of her tax refund, Schimminger said she was grateful for the students and professors who helped her.
“I benefit way more filing in Mississippi than if my dad had filed me as a dependent in Pennsylvania,” Shimminger said. “I feel confident that the numbers are all right and that this was the best financial option for me this year.”
Beta Alpha Psi students will not be offering any other financial advice or planning, only preparing individual tax returns.
The tax sessions will be hosted at The Hub at 301 University Drive. Participants should bring their social security card, a photo ID, and any income information they have, such as W-2s or 1099s, to their session.
Students will be available from 5 to 8 p.m. on April 5, April 6, April 12, and April 13 and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on today and 15.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion