Starting Saturday, Cal Poly students are helping qualifying San Luis Obispo County residents file their taxes each week until March 14.
Kevin Raach said he and his wife always feel uneasy going into tax season.
“We're super nervous," Raach said. "We have to make sure we have everything prepared and to find somebody we trust and make sure we have all the papers.”
Raach said they found Cal Poly’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or VITA program online after looking for an inexpensive way to do their taxes.
“We were going to an accountant and then he kind of outgrew us so we were looking around for somebody, like, free,” Raach said.
Grace O'Connor, a tax preparer at Cal Poly, said the VITA Program is free for those who make less than $70,000 annually.
Like O’Connor, the tax preparers are mostly Cal Poly students, who get real world experience by helping their community.
“The goal here is to help our local community," O'Connor said. "I think that a lot of people don't realize how many credits and refunds that they're eligible for, especially with, tax laws changing year to year.”
O’Connor said with these changes, more people quality for tax breaks than they think. She said people who are looking for assistance need to bring their physical social security card, a photo ID, and documents like their W2.
“I think the entire VITA team is very dedicated and we've put in a lot of hours toward training and becoming certified to just help our local community and I think that's great," O'Connor said. "I'm very proud to be a part of Cal Poly VITA program.”
Raach said so far, the Cal Poly VITA team has made the filing process easier.
O'Connor said there is specific list of qualifications to see if residents can participate in the VITA program.
