Aarp, Irs Offering Free Tax Help

Like it our not, your uncle is coming.

Uncle Sam, that is.

Like many relatives, this guy stops by for an annual visit whether you invite him or not.

But for the many people who feel intimidated by the coming of tax return time, there’s help.

The American Association of Retired Persons and the Internal Revenue Service are offering free tax assistance.

Help can be had in the Valley from noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through filing day.

Volunteers will be on duty:

Tuesdays at University City Shopping Center.

Wednesdays at Valley Senior Center, 11423 E. Mission.

Thursdays at Argonne Library, 4332 N. Argonne.

The trained volunteers can handle most personal tax returns. “We don’t want to seriously compete with the CPAs and tax preparers,” says Marci Maginnis, the programs’s Eastern Washington coordinator.

The Tax Counseling for the Elderly service includes preparation of 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ; Schedules A, B, CEZ and D; and earned income credit or home sale forms.

Although the AARP sponsors the service with the IRS, it isn’t limited to elderly filers.

Many of the volunteers are accountants, Maginnis says. Others have had specialized tax preparation training.

Many people are “afraid of figures and the IRS,” Maginnis says.

No worries, though - volunteers will complete the forms in full as well as answer any questions.

It might be a tough sell, but Maginnis really wants to demystify those forms so people understand them.

“We have one volunteer who used to say, ‘Just read the form,”’ she remembers. “That’s all it is. It’s easy.”

, DataTimes