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Make a difference in Anchorage: Volunteer as an AARP Foundation Tax Preparer!
For the last several years, an ever-increasing number of Alaskans have used Anchorage’s free tax preparation services to get their taxes filed accurately and on time – thanks in large part to AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, the free volunteer-run tax preparation service that provides the majority of volunteer tax preparers. As more people learn about the service, the demand for assistance has grown. We must now grow the team of volunteers who make it happen.
That’s where you come in! This month, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide and United Way of Anchorage are recruiting volunteers to help prepare taxes. The help goes a long way—sometimes a higher refund means keeping the heat on or helping with rent for our most vulnerable Anchorage residents.
In short, free tax preparation is an important boost for individuals and families working to improve their financial stability. The double benefit that comes from the opportunity to maximize their refunds and save on tax preparation costs would not be possible without the time and talent of volunteers.
Becoming a volunteer tax preparer is easier than you think. No prior tax experience is necessary. Volunteers do need some computer knowledge, must have an e-mail address and complete approximately 40 hours of combined classroom and online training, which begins in Anchorage Dec. 18. Then, they’ll be asked to volunteer at one of the sites open throughout Anchorage during the tax season, which runs Jan. 31 through April 15.
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide provides everything you need to be successful!
Why do people volunteer?
“A taxpayer came to one of the sites in Anchorage very anxious about owing a large sum of money in taxes and was not going to be able to pay the amount. The counselor worked through the return and was able to tell the taxpayer that a $75 refund would be coming in the mail. The taxpayer became very emotional and there wasn’t a dry eye among those taxpayers waiting. This is why we volunteer for this program. Each taxpayer gets the full amount from the refund and this money will help the family in many ways.”
“…I’ve worked with some great Tax-Aide clients over the years. One who stands out is a young mom I met my first year and kept running into even though I was volunteering at different sites…I’d give her the information she needed, and I could always be sure that the next year she’d come back fully prepared on that issue—and ready with something new for us to tackle together…I keep thinking about the fact that much of the information I give her just wouldn’t be available to someone like her, and how much of a difference the few hundred dollars it saves her can make in her life…” Read the full testimony here.
Learn more about the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide
Complete your volunteer application now!
View and download the volunteer flier.