Did you know: only 35% of Americans know how to prepare their taxes?
Don't miss out on serving your fellow citizens AND learning how to prepare taxes. Sign up today!
Volunteering Positions: Tax Preparation, Greeters, and Intake Staff.
No tax preparation experience necessary. We provide all the training.
Download the volunteer application (,pdf) or fill it out online
IMPORTANT information for TAX PREPARERS, GREETERS, and INTAKE STAFF volunteers BELOW
Tax Preparing volunteers can choose between the Classroom training OR Online Training courses.
Classroom Training:
For the schedule & location for upcoming Classroom courses, please click here (you'll be directed to the VITA Calendar).
Accessing the Link & Learn Practice Lab will be required later for volunteers take the Classroom course: http://www.voltaxprep.com/ (the password to create an account for the Link & Learn Practice will to be given to you by a CSET/VITA employee). Note: You may still resume the CLASSROOM TRAINING while waiting for the Link & Learn password.
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Online Training Courses:
*-Required if you're interested in being a Lead Tax Preparer for a VITA site. Proof of completion is required. See Step 3 and 4 below.
Testing Material:
Please note that a volunteer Tax Preparer MUST obtain VITA/TCE Certification before preparing taxes at one of our VITA sites.
1) Accessing the Link & Learn Practice Lab is required: http://www.voltaxprep.com/ (the password to create an account for the Link & Learn Practice needs to be given to you by a CSET/VITA employee). Note: You may still resume the ONLINE TRAINING until you receive your Link & Learn password.
2) From your respective ONLINE TRAINING COURSE page, click on the TEST link and register for a new account. Using the Link & Learn Practice Lab for the test is highly recommended. Note: If you have not received the password to create a Link & Learn account, you MAY still take the test BUT you will need a Link & Learn account before you can start volunteering at a VITA site.
TIP: During the test, you may be allowed a certain amount of time for completion. If you are having a hard time with a few questions you may LOG OFF and consult the appropriate reading or online material. LOGGING OFF stalls the timer. This method is, however, required for a particular set of online test questions.
3) If you take & pass (80% competency) at least the BASIC level test for volunteers, save your VITA/TCE Certificate (it will likely be a .pdf file and look something like this) to your computer. Please note that you are only allowed only 2 (two) attempts at the test.
4) It is now required that you e-mail the VITA/TCE Certificate to Frank Ruiz (VITA Manager @ CSET) and Veronica Soria (VITA Assistant Manager @ CSET)
5) Congratulations, you are now certified, finished, and ready to help fellow citizens prepare their taxes. Now, select your site.
For the schedule & location for upcoming Greeters and Intake Staff training, please click here (you'll be directed to our Calendar).