This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Community Action Partnership of Utah and its "Earn it. Keep it. Save it. Coalition," along with AARP Tax-Aide are in need of community volunteers and sites to provide free income tax help across the state.
Both groups provide free tax help to individuals and families with low to moderate income, seniors, the disabled and those with English as a second language.
Volunteers will be trained on filling out current federal and Utah State Tax Commission returns and on the use of tax software for electronically filing tax returns, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
Tax volunteers will help determine if a taxpayer is eligible for deductions, allowable expenses and credits. In order to prepare tax returns, volunteers must pass a competency test. If they don't pass the tax test, they still can volunteer to welcome taxpayers while providing initial forms and answering general questions.
There is no formal commitment involved in taking the tax training. Volunteers, though, are asked to donate a few hours of their time one to two days per week during the tax season.
For more information about becoming a community tax volunteer or hosting a free tax help site, send an e-mail to taxhelp@caputah.org or utahtaxsc@utahtax-aide.org.