Tax services available free of charge at Worland Senior Center
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WORLAND – For more than 15 years, the Worland Senior Center has been an AARP Foundation tax-aide site and this year is no exception with the free tax-return service starting Feb. 7 and continuing until April 13.
According to coordinator Sherry Stottler, each year the preparers provide help to about 150 residents.
The preparers are certified to prepare taxes by the IRS under the auspices of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance/Tax Counseling for the elderly. Stottler said each preparer goes through 40 hours of training in order to become certified.
According to the IRS, the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program was established in 1978, and “provides tax counseling and return preparation nationwide to people who are 60 or older. Volunteers receive training and technical assistance.”
According to the AARP website, the “AARP Foundation Tax-Aide provides in-person assistance to anyone, free of charge, with a focus on taxpayers who are over 50 and have low to moderate income. Tax-Aide volunteers are located nationwide, and are trained and IRS-certified every year to make sure they know about and understand the latest changes and additions to the tax code.”
This year’s preparers are Stottler, Larry McGonigal and Theresa Livingston.
The service is free and open to everyone, not just elderly or low income. They however do not do taxes for businesses or anyone who has a farm.
According to Stottler, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the service where it’s not as in-person as it used to be. Stottler said that they take the client’s information from them and sends the client home, or to enjoy lunch and coffee at the senior center while the preparer works on the return for them. The client is then called back once their tax return is completed.
Those who are interested should call the Worland Senior Center for an appointment at 347-3208. If possible, they should bring last year’s taxes, income, any deductions they may have, as well as their ID.
Those who want their taxes directly deposited into their bank account should bring a voided check.
Stottler explained that one Tax-Aide preparer will complete the tax return, while another will provide quality review.
This is Stottler’s sixth year being a preparer, Livingston’s third year and McGonigal’s 11th year.
The preparers are there Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
