Hudson Valley CA$H Coalition Seeks Volunteers For Tax Season

NEWBURGH – With tax season soon approaching, Hudson Valley CA$H Coalition and AARP Tax-Aide are looking for volunteers for their sponsored free tax preparation sites. These volunteers will provide tax preparation for low-to-moderate income families, individuals and seniors in Orange and Dutchess Counties. These sites will be available from early February to April 15, 2018.

Last year, 7,728 volunteers worked to help families and individuals in the Dutchess and Orange region with their taxes. The amount of tax refunds generated was $6,441,766 and the total economic impact was $9,795,261.

Volunteer tax preparers can use their knowledge to help the community while learning new tax preparatory skills. These volunteers will be asked to help clients with their federal and state tax returns. A volunteer is not required to have mastery in tax preparation; after all, tax preparers will receive free training alongside IRS Certification. The only requirements are familiarity with tax preparation software, basic computer knowledge, and enjoyment of working with others. The hours, days and location sites are flexible in order to best accommodate volunteers. Bilingual tax preparers are always needed and encouraged to apply. There will be an orientation held in December and training in January for those interested in volunteering.

Additionally, volunteers besides tax preparers, such as confirmation callers, technology support, marketing and public relations support, tax site greeters and translators, are all welcome. Volunteers have flexible hours, and some may even have the opportunity to work from home. There is minimal training required for these particular volunteer positions.

Don’t take it from us – volunteering as a tax preparer is a rewarding experience. When asked of the volunteer training process, volunteers Pam Dewey and Ray Ricci, who lent their assistance for over 7 years and 13 years, respectively, described the classes to be incredibly helpful, with plenty of studying and “take-home” practice problems. Ray spoke of how “the instructors are very knowledgeable and can explain the material well. If you ask a question, they will be able to answer it or they will find out the answer for you.”

A benefit of working with the Hudson Valley CA$H Coalition and AARP Tax-Aide is being able to collaborate with other volunteers. According to Pam, “Someone can always check the work you are doing with a client. Different people are good at different things so there is always someone to help you. This is very reassuring when working with a client.” Pam also described how volunteers become close and that “volunteers even go out for dinner at lunch at the end of the season just for fun.”

Pam describes the overall volunteering process as empowering. Volunteers establish rapport with clients, and for clients who are new to the tax sites, they will assuredly feel at ease with how knowledgeable and helpful the volunteer tax preparers are. It’s heart-warming to see many of the same clients return to file their taxes.

Hudson Valley CA$H Coalition partners with 16 other organizations in order to successfully help community members with their taxes. These organizations include AARP Tax-Aide, Catholic Charities of Dutchess County, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County, Community Action Partnership of Dutchess County, Fidelis Care, Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, the IRS, Marist College, Mount Saint Mary College, MVP Healthcare, North East Community Center, Orange County Office for the Aging, Pathstone Corporation, RSVP Senior Volunteer Program, United Way of Dutchess-Orange Region, and Walden Savings Bank.

If you are interested in joining the Hudson Valley CA$H Coalition, please contact Linda Eddy for Dutchess County at (845)-475-7500 and for Orange County please contact Dave Weaving at hvcash@uwdor.org.