AARP Tax Aide Seeking Volunteers

Earlier this year, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide completed almost 30,000 tax returns for free for low-income and elderly Alabamians. Now they're gearing up for tax season and need volunteers to train to start helping in January.

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is a free, non-profit program that provides tax-filing assistance to people of middle- and low-income, with special attention paid to those aged 60-plus.

Volunteers do not need to be an AARP member or retiree to participate, and they will receive free tax training and be reimbursed for qualified program-related expenses. They help taxpayers at sites around the state, learning new skills while giving back to their communities.

The program is the nation’s largest free, volunteer-run tax preparation and assistance service.

“In 44 years, we’ve assisted thousands of people in preparing and filing their tax returns,” said Jesse Salinas, AARP Alabama state director. “We could not do it without our hundreds of volunteers across the state who are critical to providing this much-needed service.”

In 2011, more than 355 AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers helped more than 27,155 taxpayers across the state. These Alabamians received $12.6 million in federal tax refunds and $1.8 million in earned income credits (EITCs). There are more than 35,000 AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers across the country, helping millions of taxpayers each year.

For more information on how you can join the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide team, visit our Web site at www.aarp.org/taxvolunteer (ENGLISH ONLY)

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is offered in conjunction with the IRS.

(Photo courtesy of  MrMio/Flickr)