VSU Accounting Students To Provide Free Tax Assistance To Local Residents

The VSU Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program has combined experiential learning with community outreach.

Virginia State University Accounting students are once again teaming up with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to offer free income tax preparation and filing assistance to 2023 individual and joint filers in the Tri-Cities area. This marks the 37th year that VSU students have provided this invaluable service to the community as part of the University’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

The Special Topics Service-Learning course was created within the VSU Reginald F. Lewis College of Business (RFLCB) to help low-income and elderly residents in the Tri-Cities area navigate the often-complex process of filing their taxes. The service is open to individuals or joint filers with an income of $73,000 or below.

"We are extremely thankful to continue our longstanding partnership with the IRS to provide this much-needed service," said Dr. Theodore R. Andrews, Jr., Assistant Professor of Accounting and VITA Manager. "This program not only benefits the community but also provides valuable hands-on experience for VSU students, who will gain practical skills in tax preparation and client communication."

Tax information and valid identification must be dropped off in Singleton Hall, room 128, on the VSU campus. A VITA worker will call clients to review the tax return. Once the return is picked up and approved by the taxpayer, the return will be filed electronically via the IRS E-file system.

The site is staffed three days a week from February 6-April 7, 2024: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Wednesdays from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. The service will not be available on days when the University is closed.

For more information, please contact Dr. Andrews at (804) 504-7079 or Ms. Bertha Morgan at the VSU Accounting and Finance Department at (804) 524-5842.