Utah Tech Accounting Students Provide Free Tax Help Through VITA Program
By d00519489
Free Tax Assistance? Say less.
“I love doing taxes,” said no one ever…
Tax season isn’t exactly known for being stress-free, but our accounting students are helping change that.
Through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, business students are turning a typically overwhelming time of year into an opportunity to serve the community, all while building skills that can’t be learned from a textbook alone.
Real Experience with Real Impact
For accounting majors, participation in VITA isn’t optional, it’s a core part of the program. Students earn class credit while stepping into real-world scenarios, working one-on-one with community members to complete their tax returns.
It is real people, real forms, and real financial situations.
“It is a fantastic experience for our students,” UT professor Derrick Esplin said. “By the end of it they’ve worked with 25 to 30 different clients.”
“active learning. active life.”
The VITA program is led by the professors but executed by the students. The students are provided with the tools they need to succeed with the expectation that they’ll have to use problem solving skills through the entire process (of course their professors are available to assist them with the super difficult scenarios!).
“I think it has been a great hands-on experience,” accounting student Ethan Harney said. “It is helping us think on our feet and problem solve.”
It’s a perfect example of our “active learning. active life.” tagline in action, where students don’t just learn concepts, they apply them (in real world scenarios!).
Saving Big $$$
By the end of tax season, our students will have collectively filled out 1,500-2,000 tax forms. Their efforts provide valuable experience and save clients an estimated $400 in tax preparation fees.
“It is that ‘active learning. active life.’ motto,” Esplin said. “We can teach them how to do a tax return in the classroom, but this is the real deal.”
More Than Just Numbers
Programs like VITA show how hands-on experience can shape our students’ confidence for post-graduation endeavors.
To learn more about the VITA program or schedule an appointment, visit accounting.utahtech.edu/vita-free-tax-prep/.