Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) at Sacred Heart University allows students to assist low- to moderate-income taxpayers with filing their federal and Connecticut income tax returns at no cost. Students take this course for credit. Students must have successfully passed Federal Tax I (AC 431) to register for the VITA Course (AC 397).

Obtaining Certification

In December, students are notified by the professors that they must pass three IRS exams to become IRS VITA certified. The students are provided references to IRS Publications and instructions to access the IRS Link & Learn Taxes website. After attaining a passing score of at least 80% for each exam (within two attempts) students become certified VITA tax preparers.

How the Program Works

Sacred Heart University supports the Connecticut Association of Human Services Bridgeport Burroughs Community Center VITA site. The site uses a drop-off process for taxpayer information, which allows students to evaluate information before talking to clients, clarifying information and preparing their returns. The class meets from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays during the spring semester. Students work in teams of two or three.

SHU professors review the tax returns for accuracy. Once the review is completed, the students contact their clients to provide an overview of their returns (amount of refund or amount owed) and the next steps the client needs to take to have their returns electronically filed. At the end of class there is a discussion of unique issues (technical or otherwise).

When the tax-filing season is over, students prepare a final case study and write a reflection paper that identifies the benefits of their VITA experience and suggestions to improve the experience of next year's class.