by Stephanie Kitts
Daily Lobo
Tax season is here, but don't be afraid.
The Tax Law Club is helping students - and anyone else who needs assistance - file their taxes, said Jeanine Steffy, president of the club.
"Students come in wanting their taxes done right away in order to renew their FAFSA forms; others want their money back; and others are just afraid of the tax man," she said. "There's no reason to leave your money with Uncle Sam any longer than you have to."
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She said there are many reasons to file taxes as soon as possible.
"People come in who just don't know how to do their taxes, and people come in who can't afford professional help," she said. "We're basically just here to help anyone who needs it."
Free tax help is available Mondays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 8 p.m. in Room 2424 of the law school until Apr. 11. The sessions began Feb. 12.
Student Michael Clariett said he is interested in the service but didn't know it was available.
"I think taxes are important," he said. "It's just something you have
to do."
Steffy said this is the first year tax help has been offered on campus.
She said a lot of people have taken advantage of the service, but there are enough volunteers to help everyone.
"There haven't been any long waits, but we've been busy every hour we've been there," Steffy said.
Steffy said she contacted the AARP's Tax-Aide service, which provides free tax help for low- to middle-income people, to find out how members of the club could volunteer during tax season.
AARP suggested having a site on campus to provide help with taxes.
The on-campus site has computers borrowed from the law school, a printer and paper from the Internal Revenue Service and software from the AARP.
Steffy said she trained as an instructor with AARP in conjunction with the IRS. She said she passed an exam before becoming an instructor.
All volunteers are trained and
certified, Steffy said.
"Volunteers pass a rigorous certification exam, and all returns are quality reviewed," she said. "At least two volunteers check each file."
Anyone who is interested in receiving help should bring an ID, all tax documents and last year's tax return.
People interested in receiving direct deposit or automatic withdrawal also need to bring bank account numbers and routing codes.
For more information, e-mail
Steffy at Unm-tlc@law.unm.edu.
