NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's almost tax time, and the AARP Foundation needs help with its free tax prep program to serve neighbors in need.
The AARP Tax Aide service is free, but it takes volunteers to not only prepare people's taxes but also run the program. There are administrative roles, and volunteers who help coordinate clients waiting to get their taxes prepared.
If you want to help prepare taxes, you don't have to be an expert. They are recruiting volunteers now so they can provide IRS-certified training before tax season starts. When the time comes, you'll be helping more than just AARP members.
"Our mission is to prepare tax returns for low income seniors, however we don't have an income limit and there's no age limit. Our sites are run by appointment, so if you get an appointment and your tax return is in scope, we'll do that return for free," Lisa Jones said.
Jones is the district coordinator for District 11 of the AARP Tax Aide program. The service extends beyond AARP members to anyone who qualifies, with no membership requirement.
"Our limiting factor in providing the service is the number of volunteers that we have, and it's really easy and rewarding to volunteer," Jones said.
The program operates entirely on volunteers, with only 14 paid staff members in the entire national program located in Washington D.C. Everyone in Tennessee is a volunteer.
"Absolutely, completely volunteer. There's nobody being paid for anything, and we don't accept payment for anything. No tips, no anything like that. Just your smiling face and a thank you is more than enough," Jones said.
Volunteers need three basic qualifications: basic computer literacy, willingness to learn, and comfort asking personal financial questions.
"A lot of people are intimidated by the tax piece of it. That really is not a problem. We provide the training for the computer, the software, the tax law. You don't have to know everything by heart. We have great resources to help you with that, but you have to be willing to learn," Jones said.
The program maintains accuracy through dual certification and a two-step review process. Volunteers take certification tests through both AARP Foundation and the IRS.
"We take two sets of tests for certification. One is through AARP Foundation itself, and the other is IRS. So it is specifically the IRS has set the standards, and if we do not pass the test, we do not prepare taxes," Jones said.
The review process involves two different tax preparers examining each return before the taxpayer gives final approval.
Janet Welch, another district coordinator for the Nashville area, emphasized the program's importance for low-income individuals.
"Because it's a free service and we hate to see people who are low income having to shell out money that they need to use for other things," Welch said.
"It's an important resource for two reasons, I think. One, like Janet said, it's a valuable service in that it is a free tax return rather than $300 plus that it can be if you have to pay a preparer to do it. It's also a great resource for community connection and for the volunteers themselves to be able to be a part of the community and have that interaction with people," Jones said.
Welch has volunteered for almost 20 years across three different states, finding AARP Tax Aide sites wherever she moves.
"Oh, it's perfect. It's a wonderful feeling. We have so many people that come back year after year, and you get to know the people and you end up learning about their family and everything going on in their lives too, so it's very rewarding," Welch said.
Volunteer opportunities extend beyond tax preparation to include administrative roles, client facilitation, and technology support.
"You don't have to be a tax preparer to volunteer with this site. I actually do not prepare taxes. I am the district coordinator. It's an organizational job, so I don't have to know all the tax information. We have client facilitators who direct people at the sites to where they need to go and help organize. We could use a technology person who wants to be the computer guy set up the computers, so there's other jobs out there if you don't want to just do taxes," Welch said.
Each individual tax preparation site will start taking appointments early next year. You can find resources to get your taxes done and volunteer information here.
Want to learn more about how you can make a difference in your community this tax season? Watch our coverage to discover all the volunteer opportunities available and see firsthand how this program helps neighbors save hundreds of dollars. Have questions about volunteering or want to share your own community service story? Contact Eric at Eric.Pointer@NewsChannel5.com
This story was reported by Eric Pointer and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Eric Pointer and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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