Dundee seniors can get help preparing their taxes
The group may not have the experience of its predecessors or the number of volunteers as in past years, but the volunteer income tax-preparing contingent for area senior citizens is open for business at the Dundee Township Public Library.
Preparers took their seats earlier month and plan to stay in them every Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to noon until April 15. While they are there, they will sort through receipts and W-2 forms of senior citizens who file simple state and federal income tax returns, said Ernie Marquez, volunteer coordinator.
“We only have four volunteers working this year; last year we had five,” Marquez said. “But one of our volunteers (volunteer coordinator Ray Sussmann) passed away. And others did not return. As it stands, we may have another drop out.”
The returns will still be filed via computer, but the line of seniors waiting for the free appointment-only service may be longer, he said.
Like their predecessors, this year’s preparers do not have accounting backgrounds. They have completed the three-day training program required and sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service and are ready to help their neighbors who do not have annuities, trust funds, stock portfolios or extensive income or expenses.
The service is being offered through AARP.
“If they do have complicated returns, we recommend the seniors go to an expert tax preparer,” Marquez said.
Meanwhile, the preparers at the Dundee library will spend Thursday mornings working on a return an hour. And by Income Tax Day, April 15, maybe 50 returns will be filed, the coordinator said.
“It won’t be as many as last year when we filed about 75 returns, but then we don’t have as many volunteers as we did last year,” Marquez said. “There’s quite a demand for this service.”
To help the line move along, senior citizens seeking the help are not only required to make appointments, but they are urged to bring all of their W-2 forms, their receipts and their 1099 forms for their pensions.
If this is the first year they are responsible for filing their income taxes after their spouses have died, they are also asked to bring their patience because additional time may be needed to sort through the documents, he said.
Appointments for the service can be made by calling the Dundee library at (847) 428-3661.
Register for preschool: Preschool registration for residents of Dundee Township will begin Saturday, Feb. 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 665 Barrington Ave., Carpentersville.Programs are offered for children, #147;Almost 3#148; through prekindergarten, in a warm, accepting environment designed to support the development of the whole child. Both two- and three-day per week classes are available. A five-day per week mixed ages class is also being offered.To register, bring a copy of the child#146;s birth certificate, proof of residency, current immunization form completed by a medical doctor, along with the registration form and payment. Payment plans are available. Registration for nonresidents of Dundee Township begins Monday, March 12.See dtpd.org for details, or call (847) 428-7131.