Volunteering

Have You Ever Wanted to Make a Difference in the Community and Develop Your Professional Skills As a VITA Volunteer?

Join the CSUN VITA Clinic this Spring as a VITA Volunteer!

What roles may a CSUN student take as part of the CSUN VITA Clinic?

Students from all disciplines at the university may join VITA. Recruitment for the VITA season begins in the fall. Students may enroll in a VITA course and receive academic credit, or they can simply volunteer with no academic credit. All VITA students must complete tax preparation training during the month of January and pass the IRS VITA test at the conclusion of the training. Once certified as VITA volunteers, students are assigned to serve in one of our many tax preparation sites in Los Angeles starting in late January through April 15. Students may serve as a Preparer, Supervisor, or a Lead Supervisor.

What roles are available to non-CSUN students in the CSUN VITA Clinic?

The VITA Scholar Program is designed to provide CSUN accounting alumni or other individuals in the community an opportunity to volunteer in the CSUN VITA Clinic during the tax season. As a VITA Scholar you may be involved in any of the following activities:

Supervise and serve as a mentor to VITA students as they complete tax returns on behalf of low income taxpayers. The mentorship may involve supervising student’s work, reviewing returns, and answering questions. To be able to prepare returns or review returns, the VITA Clinic Scholar must successfully pass the IRS online VITA tax preparer exam-Advanced level and sign the Volunteer Standard of Conduct Form. Individuals volunteering in this role may be eligible to obtain up to 18 hours of Continuing Education credit. For more information about requirements for Continuing Education credit, please visit the IRS website.
Serve as a greeter in one of clinic's sites.
Serve as a Spanish language interpreter in one of the clinic's sites.
Disseminate at one of our sites financial educational resources and consumer resources available to low income taxpayers in the community.

Would I have Any Professional Liability Exposure for my Volunteer Work as a VITA Scholar?

The Internal Revenue Service Office of Chief Counsel has stated that VITA volunteers are not “income tax preparers” under I.R.C. § 7701(a)(31) because we do not prepare returns for compensation. Thus, CSUN VITA Clinic volunteers who assist taxpayers are not legally responsible for the accuracy of the returns, are not required to sign the returns, and need not retain the records required of commercial income tax preparers.