Ann House, coordinator for the Personal Money Management Center, gives financial and tax advice as part of finance week.
As tax season approaches, many students are applying their procrastination skills and waiting to file their taxes until closer to the April 17 deadline. Other students, however, are proactively taking advantage of the free tax services available online and on campus.These resources include Personal Money Management Center, run by ASUU, the student body government. The year-old center offers free tax filing for students through April, among other financial services such as budgeting tools.
?[We?re here] to help people so they don?t have to spend a lot of money to get their taxes done,? said Ann House, coordinator for the center. ?Don?t pay to use your own money.?
The center was formed last year after a 2009 ASUU survey showed that students would be interested in a financial resource, House said. The center is funded by a student fee of $3 per semester, which House said is clearly a much cheaper way to access tax filing and financial resources than paying third parties.
?Think how much it would cost if you had to go to a tax preparer ? about $100 to $150 for students,? she said. ?Here, we won?t turn anyone away.?
The center is partnered with the Internal Revenue Service and United Way, among other organizations, and offers free tax prep and filing for individuals who are at or below 200 percent of the national poverty line. This equates to a making under $50,000 annually for a family of four or making under $21,000 for an individual, House said.
The center is in the Union but operates around campus with the help of a van called the ?Beehive Van.? The van carries computers and certified tax experts that offer students help, which started making rounds this week.
The van?s next stop will be at the Marriott Library today, and then at the Union on Thursday and Friday. Students can also make appointments at the center in the Union until the Saturday before taxes are due by calling Utah?s community hotline 211.
House said students should be wary of using some tax services, as they might try to finagle students into unwittingly losing money.
?A lot of the tax places have other products they want to sell, such as a rapid refund loan, with a new name for it every year,? she said. Students can save money and avoid scams by using reputable sources, such as the center, she said.
Another resource for tax help on campus is through Beta Alpha Psi, a national organization for finance, accounting and information-systems students that works with the IRS through the Volunteer Income Tax Accounting program to offer free tax help.
?A lot of students don?t know how to do taxes,? said Brian Farr, a graduate student in tax accounting and the VITA manager for Beta Alpha Psi. ?[We offer] a valuable service to help prepare students to do their own ? so they don?t have to worry about their parents having to do them.?
Beta Alpha Psi?s program allows certified volunteers to assist students through taxes at different locations around Utah and caters to both U.S. citizens and international students. The group performed about 200 returns last year with 400 to 500 students participating. Farr hopes to increase that number this year.
Other students are turning to various off-campus resources for tax help, such as family or personal connections. Brad Watts, a senior in exercise physiology, said he plans on using his father?s help to file his taxes.
?[I?m going] to do my taxes as soon as I can,? he said. ?And my dad helps a lot.?
Johanna Tovar, a senior in psychology, said she had already looked at filing her taxes through the online resource TurboTax.
?You get all your forms online, so it?s easy,? she said. ?I already did mine.?
House said, in addition to the practical tax assistance, the center gives students a chance to build their knowledge, which is what attending the university is all about.
?It?s a fabulous learning opportunity,? she said. ?There?s nothing like doing your taxes yourself a few times to get a good feel ? [especially] since we?re in this learning environment. It?s important to learn all the ins and out of taxes early on.?
For more information about the free tax services at the center, visit the website at www.asuupmmc.utah.edu.
Short URL: http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/?p=2565571
Source: http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/news/campus/groups-bring-free-tax-prep-for-students/
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