Fairfield University’s School of Business Offers Free Tax Return Preparation Service
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (March 7, 2016) — Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business is now hosting their fourth-annual Tax Return Preparation Serviceseach Friday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. through March 31, 2017. Services are provided by appointment only. Please contact Eve Liptak at [email protected] or call 203-254-4307 to schedule an appointment.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) services offered serve those with a household income up to $60,000 and include electronic filing (federal and state); direct deposit refunds; and retired and self-employed income tax return preparation. Volunteers also help advise clients on benefits screening, financial education and how to turn refunds into long-term financial security. The income tax prep office at the Dolan School is part of an IRS program that includes offices in the greater Bridgeport area, staffed by Fairfield University students and volunteers who have completed both a technical and professional conduct certification process under IRS supervision.
“The VITA program we are offering both on campus and in Bridgeport saves low income taxpayers a significant amount of tax preparation fees, helping to bring millions of tax refund dollars to our local economy,” said Ahmed M. Ebrahim, CPA, Ph.D., associate professor of accounting at Fairfield University. “The VITA program’s focus on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) encourages low income families to seek employment and earned income which, ultimately, helps to lift them out of poverty.”
The complimentary service is part of the VITA program, sponsored by the IRS in coordination with the Connecticut Association of Human Services (CAHS) and other organizations, including the United Way. The goal of the program is to help taxpayers file their income tax returns and obtain all tax credits they are eligible for, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC).
Dolan School of Business students volunteering at VITA sites are primarily accounting majors enrolled in an elective course that includes a service-learning component. At the same time, students gain IRS tax preparation experience to help them prepare for a career in tax.
Click here for more information about VITA offices located in Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk and additional locations in Connecticut.
Vol. 49, No. 132
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Fairfield University is a Jesuit University, rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 36 states, 47 foreign countries, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are enrolled in the University’s five schools. In the spirit of rigorous and sympathetic inquiry into all dimensions of human experience, Fairfield welcomes students from diverse backgrounds to share ideas and engage in open conversations. The University is located in the heart of a region where the future takes shape, on a stunning campus on the Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.
