Never Fear, Tax Help Is Here

By Drew Jubera

Mary Fakharian searched for ways to volunteer after she retired in 2013 as an executive with a senior living community. She wanted to do something that would keep her involved with older people as well as challenge her mentally.

Fakharian, 62, of Brookhaven, was able to do both by volunteering to prepare taxes for the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program. The free service is available to anyone, but it’s geared toward older and lower-income taxpayers.

“Taxes definitely can be challenging,” she said. “So it was a perfect fit in that regard.”

Certified by the IRS, Tax-Aide volunteers helped Georgians file 40,000 federal returns this year while answering pressing tax questions for thousands of others.

Nearly 900 volunteers performed the services at 122 sites around the state. Nationwide, about 35,000 volunteers helped people with their taxes.

Volunteers say the work brings tremendous satisfaction because they know they’ve helped folks who either can’t afford to use a commercial tax preparer or have no idea how to prepare returns.

Clients have included a young man who supported his mother but didn’t realize he could declare her as a dependent and a recently widowed woman whose husband had always handled their taxes.

“When you have a taxpayer sitting with you doing a return and they say, ‘I don’t know what I would have done without you,’ you absolutely get a smile on your face,” said Bill Casement, 75, state coordinator for Tax-Aide in Georgia. “For people living on Social Security and a small pension, $150 or $250 for tax preparation is an awful lot of money.”

Volunteers are always needed, but Casement, of Alpharetta, said many people have a misconception that a background in areas such as accounting or finance is required.

In fact, volunteers come from all walks of life—education, engineering, retail and the military, to name a few—and go through a rigorous training session, usually in December or January, to prepare them for certification by the IRS.

Tax preparers can handle most types of individual returns, but not ones with rental income or employee business expenses. All returns are reviewed by another volunteer to check for errors.

“If you run across a problem you don’t know how to handle, there will be someone else in the room able to work it out,” said Jackie Berkelhamer, 71, a retired financial planner in Atlanta. “The collegial spirit in the room is wonderful.”

Not just preparers
Also in demand are volunteers who are not preparing returns. Client facilitators greet taxpayers as they arrive, assess their needs and make sure they have the necessary documents. Technology coordinators help with computer glitches.

Administrators ensure sites run smoothly and keep track of volunteer assignments. And bilingual speakers in all of those roles help as interpreters for other volunteers.

Barbara Thompson, 70, a retired engineer who taught math and computer science in Forsyth County, decided after going through the training that tax preparation wasn’t for her. She became a client facilitator and loved it.

“I feel like I help the people coming in and keep the situation calm for the other workers,” Thompson said. “When I leave, quite often I’m physically exhausted and counting how many weeks until it’s over. Then as soon as it’s over, I think, I’ll be back next year.”

To learn more about Tax-Aide and becoming a volunteer, go to aarp.org/taxaide or call 888-227-7669 toll-free.

Drew Jubera is a writer living in Atlanta.