Free Income Tax Assistance Service Offered

Accounting students will join area professionals to provide free tax assistance to low and medium income residents through the VITA program.
Accounting students from The University of Scranton and professional volunteers organized through the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties will assist local residents with their tax returns as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, a free service for clients with household incomes below $54,000 in 2017.
Accounting students from The University of Scranton and professional volunteers organized through the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties will assist local residents with their tax returns as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, a free service for clients with household incomes below $54,000 in 2017.

Accounting students from The University of Scranton will assist local residents with filing their federal, state and local tax returns as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The students, joined by numerous professional volunteers organized by the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties with the support of several local organizations, will provide the free service to residents of Lackawanna and Wayne counties with household incomes of less than 54,000 for 2017. University students have participated in the VITA program for more than 30 years.

Walk-in VITA service without an appointment is available in room 111 of Brennan Hall, Madison Avenue, on the University’s campus on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Feb. 5 to Mar. 7 and from Mar. 19 to Mar. 28. Service will also be offered on Tuesday, Apr. 3. Hours of service will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays; from noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays; and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. Service on campus will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis and advance appointments cannot be scheduled. The University reserves the right to cap the number of walk-in residents they can serve within a single day.

Residents using the VITA service are asked to bring the following items: a valid photo ID; all W2 Forms; all 1099 forms (interest, dividends, pensions); real estate tax receipts for rent/tax rebate; Form 8332 for non-custodial parents; Social Security numbers or Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITIN) for all taxpayers and dependents; W-7 forms if appropriate; information related to income and expenses (business, rental properties, sale of stocks); a personal banking account check if direct deposit is desired; and any documentation related to health insurance for themselves and anyone on the tax return, such as Form 1095-A, -B or -C, and paperwork from the Healthcare Market Place. Last year’s tax returns are also requested.

In addition to the University’s campus the VITA service is available by appointment only at the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties office at 615 Jefferson Avenue, as well as at additional locations in the area from February through the beginning of April. Limited appointments are available at some locations at this time. Appointments can be made online at uwic.net/taxes.

VITA program partners are The University of Scranton, The United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, Lackawanna College, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA, the Lackawanna County Library System, the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of NEPA and the IRS.

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