ASL Students Partner with People Inc. to Offer Free Tax Preparation for Eligible Households
GRUNDY, VA (FEBRUARY 4, 2020) — Appalachian School of Law students will once again partner with People Inc. to offer a free tax preparation clinic on the ASL campus beginning February 6 and running through March 28. The clinic is located on the ASL campus on the second floor of the Booth Center, room 233.
For more than 10 years, ASL has partnered with People Inc. to sponsor the tax clinic through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA). VITA clinics are run by IRS-certified volunteers who prepare and submit basic income tax returns for free. In addition to preparing the returns, they also provide free electronic federal and state return filing to qualified taxpayers. The ASL Tax Clinic is staffed by law students and is open to all in Buchanan and surrounding counties. ASL served 126 people in 2019 and hopes to serve more this year.
The service is available to taxpayer households who make $56,000 or less; persons with disabilities; or limited English-speaking taxpayers as outlined by the VITA program.
The 2020 program will feature a 10-hour weekly clinic starting February 6. The clinic will be offered through March 28. The clinic will not be offered March 5, 6 and 7 due to ASL’s spring break. Clinic hours will be on Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m.; Fridays, 3 to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Appointments are required. To schedule an appointment, interested persons may call People Incorporated at 276-619-2235.
The 2020 ASL VITA Team is comprised of ASL students Sahar Taman, who serves as site coordinator; Alex Chilelli; Donald Epperson; Linh Nguyen; Isra Shafi; and Cristian Toala-Ramirez and Ashaki James.
Those taking advantage of the free service are reminded to bring the following documentation to their clinic appointment:
- Proof of identification (photo ID) for you and your spouse if filing jointly. For married filing jointly, both spouses must be present;
- Social Security cards for you, your spouse and dependents (an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) assignment letter may be substituted for you, your spouse and your dependents if you do not have a Social Security number);
- Birth dates for you, your spouse and dependents on the tax return;
- Wage and earning statements (Form W-2, W-2G, 1099-R,1099-Misc, etc.) from all employers;
- Expense documents (Dependent care, college tuition, student loan statements, home mortgage interest, property tax statements, alimony paid or received, etc.)
- Interest and dividend statements from banks and financial institutions (Forms 1099-Int, 1099-Div);
- Health Insurance Statements (Forms 1095-A, 1095-B, 1095-C);
- Health Insurance Exemption Certificate, if received;
- A copy of last year’s federal and state returns, if available;
- Proof of bank account routing and account numbers for direct deposit such as a blank check; and
- Total paid for daycare provider and the daycare provider’s tax identifying number such as their Social Security number or business Employer Identification Number.
To file taxes electronically on a married-filing-joint tax return, both spouses must be present.
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Media Contact: Cathy St. Clair – 276.202.0383 or cstclair@asl.edu