Photo by Nathan Lemon on Unsplash
Every tax season folks need help filing their returns but can’t afford to pay a tax pro. You can help them at no-cost Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly locations.
The Internal Revenue Service is looking for volunteers.
No, it has nothing to do with the government shutdown that started today, the first day of Uncle Sam’s 2026 fiscal year. Although if the stoppage goes beyond Oct. 7, IRS staff will be working on deferred payment time.
Rather, the IRS has issued its annual plea for people who want to help fellow taxpayers file their returns during the coming tax season.
They are the trained folks who spend their free time during the annual tax-filing high season, January through mid-April’s Tax Day, helping others at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) operations across the United States.
The key word is free, not only in the time volunteered, but also in the no cost VITA and TCE services.
Free help for certain filers: This volunteer tax assistance has been in place for decades. The partnership of the IRS and national, state, and local community groups have helped millions of low-to-moderate income and older taxpayers meet their annual tax return filing obligations at no cost.
VITA is the granddaddy of volunteer filing assistance. Its volunteers have been offering free tax assistance for more than 50 years. Eligible taxpayers are those making less than a certain income level. The earnings cut-off this past filing season was $67,000. It’s likely to be bumped up a bit for the coming filing season.
Persons with disabilities, as well as those whose native language is not English, also are welcome to get help at VITA sites.
The TCE program offers similar free tax help to those who are age 60 and older. The major difference here is that TCE volunteers specialize in tax areas that affect pension income and retirement-related issues unique to seniors.
VITA and TCE sites can be found nationwide. All are operated by volunteers who want to help their neighbors comply with the often scary and frustrating annual tax return filing process.
Volunteer, but trained: Some VITA and TCE assistors come from the tax community. They are former tax professionals or tax law educators who want to keep sharing their knowledge, this time on their own dime.
But you don’t have to have a tax background to staff a VITA or TCE site. The IRS will train you.
In fact, the IRS requires all VITA and TCE volunteers who prepare returns to take and pass tax law instruction that meets or exceeds IRS standards. This training includes maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of all taxpayer information.
You can get an idea of the training regimen at IRS.gov’s Link and Learn Taxes webpage. The online, interactive training program has six tax certification courses for volunteers, along with a refresher course for returning volunteers.
In addition to ensuring that VITA and TCE volunteers are knowledgeable about tax laws, the IRS requires a quality review check for every return prepared at a VITA or TCE site before it is electronically filed.
And if you’re not comfortable, even with the IRS training, in helping others complete and file their tax returns, there are other options. Available positions include interpreters, greeters, and computer specialists.
Volunteer opportunities: Helping VITA and TCE clients fill out and file their taxes is, of course, a key available volunteer position for the upcoming 2025 tax filing season.
As a trained and certified volunteer tax preparer, you’ll have access to electronic filing software. That’s no surprise, since the IRS has for what seems like forever been encouraging all taxpayers and preparers to file electronically and have their refunds directly deposited.
E-filing will be more important in the 2026 filing season, as the IRS is looking to end paper tax refund checks as much as possible.
Also, while the TCE program focuses on the tax filing needs of older individuals, age is not an issue for TCE or VITA volunteers. People staffing the operations across the United States range from high school students to retirees.
Finally, consider becoming a VITA and TCE volunteer even if you don’t want to help others fill out their 1040 forms. In addition to tax preparer, there are plenty of other tax-related needs at the volunteer tax help sites. They include —
- Interpreter — You provide free language interpreter services to customers who are not fluent in English. Basic tax knowledge is helpful, but it is not required for this position.
- Greeter/Screener — You greet everyone visiting the site to create a pleasant atmosphere. You screen taxpayers to determine the type of assistance they need and confirm they have the necessary documents to complete their tax returns. Tax law certification is not required for this position.
- Site administrator/Coordinator — You have excellent organizational and leadership skills. You are the primary resource for sharing your knowledge of the program and are available to assist with any issues that may arise. You develop and maintain schedules for all volunteers to ensure adequate coverage, supplies, and equipment at your site. Tax law certification is not always required for this position.
- Quality Reviewer — You review tax returns completed by volunteer tax preparers, ensuring that every taxpayer receives top quality service and that the tax returns are error-free. You must be tax law certified at least at the Intermediate level.
- Marketing Specialist — If marketing is your métier, then VITA and TCE can use your skills. Many site partners would love to use your expertise to get the word about their tax-preparation locations to the community.
- Instructor — Once you complete online certification in tax law at the advanced level or higher and familiarize yourself with any software updates, you can train other volunteers. The classes you’ll lead will be in a classroom setting or online.
- Tax Coach — Here you provide tax law assistance and guide taxpayers in preparing their own tax returns. Tax law certification is required for this volunteer role and training is available on-line or through face-to-face instruction.
- Computer Specialist or Troubleshooter — You have a working knowledge of personal computers, software, and communications systems. Tax law certification is not required for this position. Although you may have less taxpayer interaction than most VITA and TCE volunteers, you must be patient with those individuals who may not be as computer literate.
Once you’ve found the position that best fits your preferences and skills, you’ll staff VITA and TCE sites that typically are open from late January through the tax filing deadline in April.
In many cases, volunteer hours are flexible, to not only make things easier for making time to help, but also for the taxpayers who need the filing assistance. Many VITA and TCE sites are open at night and on weekends.
And if you are a tax professional who will have time away from paying clients during the coming filing season, your time as a VITA or TCE volunteer can help you earn continuing professional education (CPE) credits. Service in the VITA/TCE program is approved to provide IRS CPE credits for Enrolled Agents (EA), non-credentialed tax preparers, and California Tax Education Council (CTEC) and Registered Tax Preparers (CRTP).
Virtual volunteers also offer tax help: The in-person help from VITA and TCE sites are under the auspices of community groups that work with the IRS.
The tax help operations usually are in libraries, community centers, schools, senior citizen meeting halls, religious facilities, or other public locations.
But it is the 21st century. Most of us have adopted digital transactions as a routine way of life.
The IRS has taken such remote access lessons to heart. Some VITA and TCE assistance now is virtual, including ways to volunteer. With the virtual VITA/TCE option, you can help your neighbors and community from the comfort of your home if that’s what you prefer.
And at both in-person and virtual VITA and TCE sites, hours are often flexible. Many operate at night and on weekends, so you should be able to find a location and times that fit your schedule.
If you want more information before deciding to volunteer, visit IRS.gov’s tax volunteers page. You also can get a visual preview at the IRS’ VITA/TCE YouTube video.
Sign up now: The IRS’ peak period for recruiting volunteers is October (hence this post) through January, when the annual filing starts later in that month. But you can sign up any time by using the IRS’ online VITA/TCE Volunteer and Partner Sign Up tool.
Folks who signed up early, specifically within the last two months, do not need to sign up again unless your contact information has changed.
And if you don’t sign up now, but later discover you do want to volunteer, if you commit to help at a VITA or TCE after next January, the IRS will keep your information on file for the next (2027) filing season.
Approximately 14 days after signing up, the IRS will send you a list of available local VITA/TCE sites, as well as an invitation to a virtual orientation.
This post also appeared on my Don’t Mess With Taxes Substack.
