Jim Benedum was in high spirits, sitting in front of a sign-up desk ready to log in all-comers. “In less than several short weeks this place (Room A100, the cafeteria of the Oak Creek Campus) will be packed.” Behind him, eight PCs were arranged and ready to process yearly reported earnings into 1040s. The 1040s are then delivered to the Internal Revenue Service and the state. The 1040 tax returns are prepared free of charge thanks to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, held every year at this time at the Downtown Milwaukee and Oak Creek Campuses. The program is an option provided by the IRS for those who cannot afford to have their taxes done by conventional means through the use of corporate agencies or offices. Jim Benedum has been the onsite coordinator for Oak Creek, participating in VITA since 1982.
Benedum said that the VITA program is there for “those who need it most, a large demographic of single individuals being students, the elderly, or households earning less than $54,000 per year.
“With opportunities for deductions missed, such as school expenses or unknown dependents within households,” cautions Benedum, “federal tax codes are too complex and cause (possible) larger refunds to go unnoticed without assistance.”
Contributing to larger refunds are the Wisconsin Homestead Credit plus Earned Income Credit found within each state and federal tax return. Both credits are refundable, entitling the working and retired to receive more than what they pay into for that year. This creates a larger-than-normal tax refund; any assistant volunteer can shed light on financial benefits from such credits if they are eligible.
The Earned Income Credit and the Wisconsin Homestead Credit are made available by the IRS and State Department of Revenue only to those families or individuals earning minimal wages, who are most in need of economic assistance.
To yield a positive determination for the Wisconsin Homestead Credit, the staff of VITA would require a client property tax bill or rent certificate, signed by a landlord. In addition, a copy of last year’s return, this year’s W-2s, a photo ID, Social Security Card and, if available, bank interest statements would be helpful to Benedum’s volunteer staff. (As site-coordinator, he also makes a high point of honesty for tax preparation and client confidentiality.) Another important point to make note of is one necessary step to successfully execute a joint tax return. Each spouse must be present to sign this form, prepared and completed with you and staff present.
“We completed 580 tax returns using electronic filing last year,” Benedum recalls, “and each of those has been done to the letter correctly.” Benedum would like to encourage as many as possible to take advantage of his Oak Creek VITA site because: 1. VITA keeps simple records of income without margin of even a modest error. 2. E-filing allows for a quick tax refund by mail, and the quickest access with use of direct deposit. 3. VITA completes tax returns for free.
Another convincing reason to keep an open mind for the VITA program is the trusted experience held by the entire staff; they are all former or current MATC students. First, they must have passed Income Tax 101, a course in accounting offered only here at MATC. Then they must complete online training in order to pass a final exam in the following section of an undisclosed IRS website. Finally, before becoming qualified volunteers, prospects have a day of training, run in the Oak Creek district by Benedum. A fifth prerequisite that can’t be taught, but is still a must-have for any volunteer, is a true spirit of generosity. It was highlighted that the “(income tax) volunteers must remain committed to helping others.”
Onsite coordinator Benedum is extremely confident in the ability of his staff because the best students are usually the ones to volunteer.
In addition to coordinating the VITA program for the last 28 years, Jim Benedum has also been instructing accounting to our students in that same time.
If you have a part-time job and the recommended paperwork, Benedum and his volunteers look forward to seeing you in the cafeteria of Oak Creek Wednesday nights at 4 p.m and Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. These tax preparation sessions started February 3 and they end April 14.
For all those not living on the south side of Milwaukee, VITA will be on the 1st floor of the Downtown Milwaukee Campus Main Building, Room M173. Start times of this location are 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, and Saturday mornings at 10 a.m., and run from now until April 13. Try to arrive an hour before booths open to register, and then you will be on your way.
