For many Americans, tax season is a highly stressful time – even if you’re expecting a return. It can be especially overwhelming for young people, low-income families, and those who are still getting a handle on their finances. SUNY Brockport’s CASH/Vita Program aims to help the local community feel more confident about their taxes.
“We literally do [the tax return] with them right next to us. We walk them through the entire thing. The communication is really good and they can feel comfortable enough to talk or speak up. I kind of feel like they’re learning with us,” said accounting student Haley Lozier.
The program was created to offer SUNY Brockport students valuable hands-on learning while giving back to the community. Accounting students earn IRS certification to gain real-world tax experience as they work with families and individuals filing their tax returns. The service is open to anyone who meets the income requirements – less than $67,000 a year for those with dependents in their household, or less than $37,000 without dependents. Clients range from local families to students at Brockport or other schools.
“Professor (Keith) Donnelly was pretty much the heart and soul of the program, and when he left it pretty much stopped,” said Dr. David Jacome. “We decided that it was time to get this program back in place.”
Dr. Jacome worked closely with Ellen Oberton, who runs the downtown CASH program, to help restart the initiative at Brockport. The fall semester focuses on preparing students for the IRS certification exam so they can do the hands-on work in the spring during tax season.
“Ellen would come in and she would go through everything, preparing us, and giving us all the information we needed to eventually take the test on our own. You take the test by the end of December, and then this semester you start meeting with clients,” explained Taylor Pawlenko, a student in the program. “It feels great being able to get certified by the IRS and to help people. I’m just a college student, I don’t have experience, but this is a great way to get started.”
Participants in the program understand how confusing and intimidating it can be to file your taxes, but the transparency of the program aims to bring their clients peace of mind.
“The focus is on helping these communities and getting their taxes done and making them feel confident. You know, a lot of these families are going through a lot of different things,” Dr. Jacome said. “This is something that we can help them with. We can at least take something off their plate and say, ‘Don’t worry about it. Your taxes are in good hands.’”
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