Beginning Friday, Feb. 7 and continuing on most Friday evenings through April, Northwest Indiana families with less than $50,000 in annual income may take advantage of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program at the Indiana University Northwest School of Business and Economics. This service provides free electronic tax filing of federal and state returns for local families.
VITA sessions take place by appointment on Friday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Dunes Medical/Professional Building at IU Northwest, located near Jefferson Street and 35th Avenue.
Families are asked to bring all W-2 forms, 1099s, Social Security and government payment notices, any tax rebate amounts received, and any other notices of income, mortgage interest, taxes paid, qualified tuition payments, contributions, rents paid, names and addresses of landlords, and any other tax-related information, as well as all family and dependent Social Security numbers and birthdates. Individuals are also asked to bring a photo ID.
There are no charges for this service and refunds are typically received within 10 days.
To provide this service, the IU Northwest School of Business and Economics and the Accounting and Business Student Organization have teamed with Northwest Indiana Community Action and the Internal Revenue Service. Business and accounting students at IU Northwest are trained by faculty members and Internal Revenue Service representatives to prepare the tax returns.
For more than 30 years, students with IU Northwest’s AACSB-accredited School of Business have received practical, hands-on experience in tax preparation and customer service, while Northwest Indiana families have enjoyed access to free tax-preparation services.
For information about parking at IU Northwest, including a practice for issuing temporary visitors’ permits, please visit http://www.iun.edu/parking/.
For more information or to make an appointment, contact the IU Northwest School of Business and Economics at (219) 980-6552.