IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program VITA
Hartwick College serves as an IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program site. Also offering Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Tax Assistance.
What is VITA/TCE?
We are the only VITA/TCE site in the region to offer ALL YEAR no-cost tax service. This program offers an extraordinary professional experiential learning and development opportunity for our students.
Coordinated by Assistant Professor Li Luo (CPA), our site provides free tax consulting and preparation service to the local community as well as across the country, to serve low to middle-income individuals including those facing physical and other disabilities and international residents and foreign students & scholars unfamiliar with US tax laws.
Hartwick IRS-certified students prepared 1,195 federal and/or state returns for clients from 45 NYS counties and those from 18 states nationwide, achieving a 100% acceptance rate with zero errors. Their combined 2000+ hours of on-site and virtual service earned a 100% acceptance rate with zero errors, saving $212,287.00 in tax filing fees and earning more than 1.8 million in tax refunds, tax credits, and Economic Impact Payments (stimulus checks) since 2019.
We Want to Help You!
Services Offered
I. Traditional VITA (In-person)
IRS certified volunteer prepares electronically filed returns face-to-face with taxpayers at a designated location.
In-Person Service is available on the Hartwick campus:
Service Location: 2nd-floor breakout rooms in Golisano Hall
Service Dates: Every Monday and Tuesday (except March 20th and March 21st) from February 6th to April 18th
Service Hours: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Please call (on-campus) 211, or 607-431-4338 or email to vita@hartwick.edu for appointment.
In-Person Service is available at Huntington Memorial Library:
Service Location: 62 Chestnut Street, Oneonta, NY 13820
Service Dates: Every Saturday (except Feb 18th, March 18th, and March 25th) from February 6th to April 18th
Service Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Please call 607-432-1980, or 607-431-4338 or email to vita@hartwick.edu for appointment.
In-Person Service Tabernacle Baptist Church – Utica:
Service Location: 13 Clark Pl, Utica, NY 13501
Service Dates: Saturday, February 18th
Service Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Please call 315-735-7534, or 607-431-4338 or email to vita@hartwick.edu for appointment
After Feb 18th, Drop-off VITA service is available in the Utica, NY area.
Please contact Tabernacle Baptist Church office 315-735-7534 Monday -Friday between 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
In-Person Service Charlotte Valley Central School – Davenport, NY:
Service Location: 15611 NY-23, Davenport, NY 13750
Service Dates: Friday, March 31st
Service Hours: 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Please call 607-431-4338 or email to vita@hartwick.edu for appointment.
In-Person Service GHS Federal Credit Union – Binghamton NY:
Service Location: 910 Front St, Binghamton, NY 13905
Service Dates: Friday, March 10th, 31st; and April 14th
Service Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Please go to the GHSFCU website or call 607-472-2876 for appointment.
In-Person Service GHS Federal Credit Union – Norwich NY:
Service Location: 35 E Main St, Norwich, NY 13815
Service Dates: Friday, March 17th, and April 7th
Service Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Please go to the GHSFCU website or call 607-472-2876 for appointment.
Virtual VITA via Zoom
Provides free tax preparation services in a virtual environment to taxpayers in more remote locations of the country and any site where face-to-face activities are not used during the tax preparation process.
Call 607-431-4338 or email vita@hartwick.edu.
II. Facilitated Self-Assistance (FSA)
FSA (Facilitated Self Assistance) empowers the taxpayer to prepare their own tax return. In this service the volunteer acts as a tax coach or “facilitator”, answering the taxpayer’s in-scope questions, during the process of completing and filing the return.
Through FSA, you are able to use the IRS TaxSlayer FSA account to file your tax return on your own for FREE. Please reach out to us if you are interested in taking advantage of the IRS-sponsored, FREE with the most accurate and updated online tax filing software.
Please call 607-431-4338 or email vita@hartwick.edu.
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 vita@hartwick.edu
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. Please go to https://www.tax.ny.gov/tap/ to schedule an appointment on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Especially for outstate students who are living on campus, your NYS Tax return needs attention and special application. We provide the laptop for this TAP section if you need one.
Contact Us
Call 607-431-4338 or email vita@hartwick.edu with your name, phone number, and zip code if you are interested in making a reservation for any of these tax filing options.