IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program VITA
Hartwick College serves as an IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program site.
What is VITA?
The IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offer qualified individuals free essential tax return preparation.
The VITA program has operated for over 55 years. VITA sites offer free tax help to people who need assistance in preparing their tax returns, including:
- People who generally make $89,000 or less
- Persons with disabilities
- Limited English-speaking taxpayers
- Seniors, 65 years of age or older
WHY HARTWICK
We are the only VITA site in the region to offer ALL-YEAR no-cost tax service.
We are certificated with ALL levels (except Puerto Rico), specializing in Military, International Income, and Foreign Students & Scholars.
Hartwick IRS-certified students served over 7,500 families from 45 NYS counties and those from 31 states nationwide, achieving a 100% acceptance rate with zero errors, bringing over $5.3 million in economic value to the community, including saved tax filing fees and claimed tax refunds, tax credits, and Economic Impact Payments (stimulus checks) since 2019.
WHAT HARTWICK COLLEGE VITA WILL DO FOR YOU:
- 1-on-1 sessions (in-person and online)
- IRS-certified volunteers prepare both federal and state returns
We Want to Help You - Services Offered
I. Traditional (In-person)
IRS-certified volunteers prepare electronically filed returns face-to-face with taxpayers at a designated location.
In-Person Service is available:
Hartwick College Campus Golisano 2nd Floor, Oneonta, NY
Mondays & Tuesdays 6:00 to 8:00 p.m..
Feb 2 to Apr 15, 2026 (Except March 16 & 17)
Call 607-431-4338 or email [email protected]
Oneonta Veterans Club, Oneonta, NY
Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Feb 7 to Apr 11, 2026 (Except Feb 21, Mar 14, and 21)
Call 607-431-4338
Tabernacle Baptist Church, Utica, NY
Saturday, Feb 21, 2026, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Call 315-735-7534
Laurens Central School, Laurens, NY
Friday, Mar 27, 2026, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Call 607-432-2050 ext. 1120
II. Facilitated Self-Assistance (FSA)
FSA (Facilitated Self Assistance) empowers taxpayers to prepare their tax returns. Through the FSA, you are able to use the IRS TaxSlayer FSA account to file your tax return on your own for FREE. Please get in touch with us if you want to take advantage of the IRS-sponsored, 100% FREE with the most accurate and updated online tax filing software. (Gross Income Limit: $89,000)
Call 607-431-4338 or email [email protected].
III. Drop-Off
Drop-off VITA services through mail or email
The taxpayer visits the drop-off site and leaves their supporting documents with the volunteer for their return to be prepared in their absence. Documents are stored securely, and the taxpayer returns to authorize e-filing of the return and retrieve their documents.
Call 607-431-4338 or email [email protected].
IV. NYS-Hartwick College TAP
NYS Department of Taxation and Finance Tax Assistance Program services allow you to file your return on your own for FREE, with experts walking you through it. You can go to https://www.tax.ny.gov/tap/ to schedule an appointment on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Especially for outstate students living on campus, your NYS Tax return needs attention and a particular application. We provide the laptop for this TAP section if you need one.
Contact Us
Call 607-431-4338 or email [email protected] with your name, phone number, and zip code if you are interested in making a reservation for any of these tax filing options.
Who Also Benefits?
This program offers our students an extraordinary professional experiential learning and development opportunity. Through VITA, our students gain valuable experience in the fields of tax preparation, administration, marketing, and technology support. Hartwick is the only
academic IRS-VITA partner nominated as a 2022 IRS Champion of Training.
All Hartwick College VITA students earn 100% job placement upon graduation.