Bowie State Student Tax Preparers Provide Free Help

Local Residents Get Professional Service at No Cost

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) – Looking for help preparing your tax return? Fifteen Bowie State University accounting students, trained as certified tax preparers, are volunteering to prepare returns for local residents who may struggle to pay for professional tax services.

The BSU College of Business is an official site for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, an Internal Revenue Service initiative to provide free tax preparation services for underserved taxpayers who generally make $54,000 or less. The students completed an IRS online certification program, making them as qualified as professionals to complete tax returns, said Dr. Bernard McNeal, an assistant professor and certified public accountant (CPA), who leads the campus-based program.

Taxpayers can contact the BSU Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics at 301-860-3621 to set up appointments, available Monday - Saturday from 1-4 p.m.

Students will then meet with the client for an intake interview and receive their tax documents. Working with BSU accounting faculty who are CPAs, the students prepare the tax return – at no charge to the client.

For the student volunteers, the opportunity to help people in need and learn skills to prepare for a career in accounting is invaluable.

“It’s important to me because some people simply can’t afford tax preparation,” said Carlos Colvin, a junior business administration major, with dreams of someday opening his own tax preparation firm. “It gives us a chance to practice our skills and help others. It definitely feels good to help.”

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ABOUT BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The University places special emphasis on the science, technology, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit www.bowiestate.edu.