Thank you for your interest in learning how to prepare a tax return in the VITA program! The student-led UMBC VITA program has created the below videos to help volunteers understand how the operation runs at UMBC.
When volunteering, there are three levels of certification that you might want to achieve.
- Greeter – requires passing an IRS ethics exam with at least 8 out of 10 answers correct
- Basic Tax Preparer – requires passing an IRS tax preparation exam with 28 out of 35 answers correct
- Advanced Tax Preparer – requires passing an IRS tax preparation exam with 36 out of 45 answers correct. This exam includes more tax topics than the Basic exam (itemizing deductions and small business income topics, for example)
If you are interested in starting your preparation for the exam of your choice, the best materials are available from Prosperity Now. The exams become available from the IRS in December so more information will be shared at that time. UMBC VITA will provide many opportunities to complete preparation for the exams in January and early February. Preparation will be a mix of synchronous virtual sessions, videos, and practice scenarios.
Please reach out to VITA@umbc.edu if you have questions.
View the training videos specific to the type of volunteer with the hyperlinks below.
If you would prefer to be trained completely online, please click here to be redirected to the content.