Free tax preparation offered at Aurora U.
Aurora University's Dunham School of Business will offer the second of six free income tax-form preparation services from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, in the lobby of Dunham Hall, 1400 Marseillaise Place in Aurora.
Free blood pressure checks and memory screenings for taxpayers will be offered at a Health and Community Services Expo in conjunction with the service.
For the seventh consecutive year, the Internal Revenue Service has approved AU to prepare tax returns free for the public in the IRS' Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
The program continues from 8 to 11 a.m. on four Saturdays: March 7, 21, 28 and April 4. No reservations are accepted. The free service is available to low-income, elderly, and disabled taxpayers, including non-English speaking taxpayers.
The income limit is $50,000. Bilingual college students will provide translation assistance for Spanish-speaking taxpayers.
Since its inception in 2002, AU tax preparers have processed more than 2,000 federal returns that generated about $1.5 million in refunds. About 30 business students and three professors who are CPAs in AU's Dunham School of Business will prepare state and federal tax returns. A photo ID and a Social Security identification card are required for taxpayers and dependents. For the first time, students from the School of Nursing and School of Social Work will assist with tax preparation and health care activities.
Community health care organizations scheduled to provide information are Kane County Senior Services, Kane County Health Department, Kendall County Health Department, Heart Sisters/Fox Valley Heart Foundation, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and Family Counseling Services of Aurora. The Yorkville Police Department will collect and dispose of unwanted prescription medicines at the tax preparation events on March 21 and April 4. The Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures will also be open to the public in Dunham Hal during the programs.
Leonard Scholl, CPA, assistant professor of accounting and AU VITA coordinator, said AU business students in "Federal Taxation of Individuals (Accounting 3310)," are scheduled to participate in the free tax service.
Electronic filing will be provided for taxpayers that qualify. Tim Moran, CPA, assistant professor of accounting, will be a co-instructor and supervise e-filing.
Scholl said accounting majors are required to participate in the tax course, and other business students may take the course as an elective. A dozen students who have completed the course are returning as volunteer tax-preparers and e-filers.
Last year, about 40 AU collegians prepared a record 1,000 combined state and federal tax returns, including 276 e-filed returns. Federal refunds totaling $319,679 were obtained for 423 taxpayers from Chicago and 20 suburbs. Scholl said the largest federal refund was $5,148. Additionally last year, AU tax preparers assisted taxpayers who failed to file returns in 2002, 2003, and 2004, yielding many refunds for those years. For total returns prepared and efficiency, the IRS has ranked AU among the top two of 10 Illinois colleges selected to participate in VITA. Before preparing returns for the public, college students complete 24 hours of classroom training, which includes preparing more than 50 sample federal and state returns. Training continues as students prepare tax returns on Saturdays for the public.
For more information, call (630) 844-6895.