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RSVP (Retired & Senior Volunteer Program) of Etowah and Cherokee County has offered FREE income tax preparation and filing for over 30 years. We are now expanding this service into DeKalb County! We appreciate being able to provide this service to our community and our volunteers truly enjoy preparing taxes for their clients. However, we are at a point where we need some new tax volunteers - and this is the perfect time for you to give it a try!
There will be a training class offered in January, and we will begin operations from January 24, 2022, through April 15, 2022, at 10 convenient locations. The DeKalb County location will be in Fort Payne. The other locations will be in Etowah and Cherokee County.
Volunteers must attend the training and pass a certification test before preparing taxes – but it is an OPEN BOOK test. We ask that volunteers work at least one day per week during tax season. One of the perks of this volunteer opportunity is that while it may be demanding for a few weeks, it is only for a few weeks and then it’s over until next year! If you’re not quite sure about actually preparing taxes, we can also use greeters at most locations. Greeters also need to attend training and pass a Standards of Conduct test, but they are not required to know tax law. This is a good way to “stick your toes in the water” and get a better idea if this is the right volunteer opportunity for you.
RSVP provides this service specifically to low-income residents and senior citizens, but there is no age or income limit. The main benchmark for our service is the difficulty of your return. Volunteers cannot prepare a Schedule C with loss or depreciation, complicated Schedule D’s, etc.
We will have an introductory meeting in November. If you are interested, contact Emily McCamy at 256-845-8590 or emilym@DeKalbCountyAL.us or visit us at the Council on Aging at 600 Tyler Ave., SE, Fort Payne.
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This service is provided by the Etowah County Commission and with grants through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). RSVP is a federal program charged with leading efforts to expand the use of service and volunteering as key solutions that respond to our nation’s most pressing challenges. Our mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities and foster civic engagement, through service and volunteering.
