Volunteers for the AARP’s Tax-Aide program had filed $1 million in returns from their four sites in the Tri-city area by Feb. 17. 

The Tax-Aide program filed 4,700 tax returns between the four sites last year.

AARP’s tax preparers are volunteers and are certified by the Internal Revenue Service. The service is free and is intended for those with low to moderate incomes.

“It’s the best program for your tax dollars,” says Janelle Riedl, manager of the program for the Tri-city area. “The counselors are trained and certified by the IRS.”

This year the Prescott locations are downtown in the Prescott Public Library and in the Frontier Village shopping center Suite 63, between the wig store and the nail salon.

The program opened its doors on Feb. 2 and processed 500 returns within the first five days at the Prescott site.

Depressed economy leaves many unable to use paid tax preparers

According to Riedl, many people need free tax services this year because of the economy. Those who used to go to H&R Block aren’t this year. One woman told Riedl that she usually pays to have her taxes filed but she needed every penny this year. “I told her, we’re the place for you,” says Riedl.

“It’s the best program for your tax dollars.”

According to Riedl people are coming in from all around northern Arizona: from Prescott Valley, Dewey, Mayer, Kirkland, Paulden, Bagdad, Yarnell and Wilhoit.

“It irks me to death that they pay; they shouldn’t,” says Pat Hedgpeth, an AARP volunteer tax preparer. “I’m so adamant; it’s a good program and I believe in the program.”

Homebuyers credit

New this year is the First Time Homebuyers Credit and property tax which can be used as an additional deduction. The deduction is $500 per person not to exceed $1,000. Also, taxpayers can still apply for the 2008 stimulus package signed by former president Bush if they didn’t last year.

According to Riedl, while she was preparing one filer’s taxes she asked if she had paid property taxes last year. The customer said she did last year, but had lost her house this year.

Another woman came in to have her taxes filed and her refund was more than her annual salary for the year because she received earned income credit and $7,500 for the first time homebuyer’s tax credit, according to Hedgpeth.

“People appreciate what we do,” says Russell Fosha, an AARP volunteer tax preparer.
Fosha has been a volunteer tax preparer for the last eight years. He took the test and the on-site training in order to be a volunteer again this year.

Trained volunteers

Many of the volunteers put in long hours. Fosha describes his co-workers as pleasant, some of whom are at the tax preparation site from the beginning until the end of the day “and are still amiable,” he says.

Riedl is in at 8 a.m. and out at 7:30 p.m. She received an award for 25 years of service with the Tax-Aide program this year.

Bill Dunham keeps the program’s software updated. He reinstalls it on each computer as the updates come in throughout the beginning of the tax season. He says that he spent the first couple of weeks sorting through the software changes that come in.

This year Grace Investments donated the building and the utilities, Commspeed donated the internet service and A.C.N., a digital phone service provider, donated the phone service, according to Riedl.
The IRS started the program to help those with low and moderate incomes stay in compliance with filing their taxes, according to Riedl.

Many people were breaking even or were paying more for filing their taxes than they were receiving in refunds.

According to the AARP website, aarp.org, the Tax-Aide program began in 1968. Since 1980 it has operated under a cooperative agreement with the IRS. The program provides a variety of services including face-to-face counseling and tax preparation during tax season, at more than 9,000 senior and community centers, libraries and other locations across the nation.

The program is “meant to help people receive their refunds,” says Riedl.

Locations

The AARP has several tax preparation sites in the Tri-city area. They are located at the Prescott Public Library, the Frontier Village shopping center, the Chino Valley Senior Center and the Prescott Valley Senior Center.

The schedule for the Prescott location at Frontier Village, Suite 63, is 9-5 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 12-8 on Wednesdays and 10-2 on Saturdays.
The schedule for the Prescott Library in the Founder’s Suite is 9-3 on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The schedule for the Chino Valley Senior Center is 9-2 on Tuesdays.
The schedule for the Prescott Valley Senior Center is 9-2 on Mondays and Wednesdays and 2-8 on Tuesdays.

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