The VITA Program

VITA is a free tax preparation program that is offered to low income, elderly and disabled members of the community who are not able to pay for these services.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-sponsored program established more than 40 years ago by the Federal Government. The core objective of VITA is to provide underserved communities and low-to-moderate income individuals who cannot afford professional tax preparation services with free tax filing I assistance.

York VITA was established by Professor Robert Clovey in 2008. From the inception of the York VITA program (Spring 2008), we have saved the community in excess of $5,000,000 in tax filing fees and generated Federal Refunds in excess of $17,000,000 and New York State Refunds in excess of $7,000,000.

Each tax season, the VITA program recruits students to work in the program. Training for the program occurs during the fall semester with actual tax preparation and serving of clients takes place in the spring semester during the months of January through April. The program is an initiative sponsored by York College and by the Department of Accounting and Finance.

For whom do we do tax returns?

We prepare tax returns for:

• Individuals with Forms W2, 1099MISC, 1099R, SSA, SSI, 1099G, 1099INT
• Students and Scholars on F1, F2, J1 or J2 visas.
• Self-employed taxpayers (All expense items must be properly documented.)

We DO NOT prepare tax returns for individuals with:

• Investment income or loss.
• Income from rental property.
• Self-employed taxpayers with business expenses above $5,000, or losses.

Do I need to make an appointment?

Only the following individuals need to make an appointment:

• Self-employed or independent contractors (1099MISC, Schedule C-EZ, transactions in cash).
• International students - please bring your passport.

What documents should I bring?

You will need to bring a picture Identification Card (ID); SSN Card (for taxpayer, spouse and all dependents) (or ITIN, if appropriate), voided check (if direct deposit is desired); all income statements - W2, 1099INT, 1099INT, SSI, SSA, 1099G; all other expense statements - tuition statements, mortgage interest statements, student loan interest, child care expenses, etc.

Please also check our Frequently Asked Questions page.