A program at the Maurer School of Law aims to ease the burden of tax filing on low-income people. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program offers free assistance filing taxes to people with a household income of $67,000 per year or less.
Every Monday and Tuesday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., volunteers gather in Baier Hall to help community members on a first-come, first-served basis.
They help with both state and federal tax returns. Their assistance in filing tax returns means participants can access benefits like the Earned Income Tax Credit, a tax break low-income workers can claim on their tax returns. In 2024, Indiana recipients of EITC received $2,724 on average.
“It’s a lot of money back into the community, helps people save money on tax credit services, just all around good stuff,” site coordinator Casey Hedge said.
Without the service, many students and community members might need to pay for a tax preparation service or expert to help them complete their taxes.
When volunteers help people, Hedge said they receive “mostly smiles and just immense gratitude.”
Volunteers undergo an IRS training to become certified for the program. They receive instruction in tax law and confidentiality.
“People are doing it really trying to help out the community,” Lucas Hall, a first-year law school student and VITA volunteer, said.
He received his undergrad degree from the Kelley School of Business and felt he could bring his skill with numbers to the program to help others.
The program is supported by the IRS and United Way of South Central Indiana; similar initiatives exist in nearby counties and across the country.
Last year, the nine community tax service locations in Brown, Monroe and Owen counties helped file 823 federal returns, resulting in over $1 million in refunds and credits, according to the United Way of South Central Indiana. The majority of clients were seniors, and over 100 clients qualified to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit — money they might have missed out on without the program.
The Maurer location of the VITA program is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. until March 25 in Baier Hall 121. To qualify for tax help, participants must be Indiana residents with a household income of $67,000 or less per year. They must also bring a valid ID, Social Security card, W2 form and Forms 1095-A, B or C.
