A record number of student volunteers have signed up for Cal State LA’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for the 2024 tax season. The IRS-certified program, which prepares tax returns at no cost, is now looking for student clients in need of tax help.
This year’s student volunteers total 139, surpassing the previous high of 81 for the 2023 tax season, when the volunteers prepped 2,307 tax returns for $3.5 million in refunds for students and members of communities that Cal State LA serves.
Last year’s total number of tax returns and dollar amount in refunds were the highest ever for the Cal State LA VITA program, which has been in existence since the 1980s. This year’s larger group of volunteers has the capacity to surpass those marks.
Over the years, VITA has mostly benefited community members outside of the campus, some of whom return yearly for the free service. John Cooper, the program’s co-faculty advisor, estimates only 5 to 10% of last season’s returns were for Cal State LA students. He is hoping more student clients, including foreign students, will take advantage of VITA this year.
“We’re looking to do a flyer that we can post around campus,” said Cooper, an assistant professor of accounting with the College of Business and Economics. “I really believe the students just really don’t know about the program.”
In the fall, VITA organizers made a concerted effort to spread word about the program to attract more volunteers.
“We had a little more aggressive recruiting,” Cooper said. “I had some of year’s volunteers visit classrooms and talk up VITA. That helped a lot. We also sent out a flyer a couple of times to the College of Business and Economics.”
VITA will prepare tax returns every Saturday through April 12, both on campus at Salazar Hall and various off-site locations. The full schedule is listed below.
The program is a win-win for all those involved. The student volunteers gain valuable practical experience, and the clients receive the tax-preparation service free of charge and, potentially, refunds.
The service is available to low-income, elderly, disabled, and limited English-speaking taxpayers. Some volunteers are bilingual and can translate and communicate in such languages as Spanish, Chinese and Armenian.
Cooper says clients should bring a picture ID and their social security card or an individual tax identification number (ITIN), in addition to W-2s, 1099s, tuition statements, and other tax documents.
For more information, including how to schedule an appointment, visit the VITA webpage. To schedule an appointment at Young & Healthy, call 626-795-5166.
VITA Schedule
Saturdays through April 12, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Cal State LA, Salazar Hall, Room 358B, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Arroyo Seco Regional Branch Library, 6145 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles
Cypress Park Branch Library, 1150 Cypress Ave., Los Angeles
El Sereno Branch Library, 5226 S. Huntington Dr., Los Angeles
Lincoln Heights Regional Library, 2530 Workman St., Los Angeles
Young & Healthy, 136 West Peoria St., Pasadena, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
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California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 24,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.
