Tax Site Volunteer | Community Action Duluth

Volunteering at the Tax Site

Looking to volunteer with us? We are accepting volunteers for the upcoming tax season. Volunteer training begins in January.

An hour of volunteer time can put $1000 in the pockets of a family with low income.

What is Tax Site? We are a nonprofit program offering free tax preparation to anyone earning up to $58,000 annually. We believe that poverty should never be a barrier to accessing tax refunds, credits, and quality tax consultations. Our program not only helps people access the refunds to which they are entitled, but also enables many to access credits designed to lift them out of poverty such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.

Volunteers make all of this possible. Apply here.

View volunteer orientation presentation here.

You can view recorded trainings on the volunteer resources page.

As part of a national network of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs, we work closely with the IRS to follow regulations, ensure accuracy, and train our volunteers to become IRS certified.

“I love the feeling I get when I can help the clients begin to achieve some of their goals and realize some of their dreams.”

– Longtime Tax Site Volunteer

Volunteer Roles

Choose the position that works best for you:

Greeter: Don’t love numbers? There is so much work for you! We’ll ask you to greet participants, schedule appointments, organize documents, and help everyone stay safe from COVID-19. (Note that everyone in this role must work in-person.)

Screener: Not ready to prepare taxes, but interested in working with tax documents? Enjoy talking with people? You can volunteer from home or in-person. We’ll teach you the basics of tax documents – what information matters, what doesn’t – and how to communicate everything to a Tax Preparer.

Tax Preparer: Have experience filing taxes? Or willing to learn? Tax Preparers work closely with clients (from home or in-person) to understand their situation, offer tax knowledge, and prepare taxes.

Volunteer Resources

Tax Site Virtual

Tax Site Clinic

Volunteer Application

COVID-19

Considerations

You can choose to volunteer in-person or from home. We recognize that many of our clients experience the digital-divide, and therefore lack access to our virtual filing option. In an effort to limit barriers to filing, we offer two options to our clients: virtual and in-person. We require masks and safety is our priority.

Greeters must work in-person adhering to our safety procedures.
Screeners volunteering in-person will conduct 15-30 minute meetings with clients adhering to safety procedures. Virtual screeners will conduct similar meetings from home either from personal phone (using number block system) or using a computer program.
Tax Preparers can either work from home or collaborate with other tax preparers in-person at “collaboration clinics” adhering to our safety procedures.

What's Next?

Reach out now to volunteer for 2023!

Commitment. Please commit to volunteering regularly for the tax season (January 31 – April 15).

Submit an application. We’ll set-up a time for you to talk with a staff member to see if this is a good fit.

Why do you volunteer? A few responses from volunteers:

“Because I love my fellow volunteers.”
"It allows me to give back to the community in a meaningful way.”
“I learned much more than I would have learned if I read a book about tax returns. Integration of theory and practice was achieved perfectly.”