Waynesburg University students will work with the Volunteers In Tax Assistance (VITA) network now through April 1 to assist low-income individuals and families with tax preparation.

The service will be available, to those who qualify, each Monday and Thursday at the Community Action Southwest building on Greene Street and the Senior Citizen Center in Carmichaels. Volunteers will be available from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

The students, led by Melissa Heider, assistant professor of accounting at Waynesburg University, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Community Action Southwest, have come together to organize the local tax assistance program.

More than 20 Waynesburg University students are involved with the project and take pride in the fact that they will help Greene County citizens breathe a sigh of relief during a very stressful time.

"It is a great opportunity to get out in the community and help people in need and it's a benefit for us to learn lessons that will definitely benefit us for the rest of our lives," said Kyle Kyper, a senior management major from Huntingdon, Pa.

Certified by the IRS, Waynesburg students are required to receive two eight-hour days of training with an IRS agent who gives a tax lecture using certified IRS software. The training will take place Friday, Jan. 22 and Saturday, Jan. 23.

Following the training, the students must pass a computerized exam given by the IRS before they are permitted to volunteer. The volunteers are trained to file tax returns under the IRS's e-file system. This system allows for a quicker tax return than the traditional paper-file system.

Once certified, the students are able to assist those who meet eligibility requirements with the free tax preparation program. Requirements include filing a mandatory 1040 form and having an annual income that does not exceed $38,000. The assistance saves local families filing fees of $300 to $600.

"Being able to save a family the amount of money that they would spend on groceries for an entire month, makes our students proud of the service they are providing," Heider said. "These families need every penny their tax return will allow and our students are grateful to be a part of the process."

Heider has been instrumental in the student's involvement with the program through her implementation of a service-learning course, which allows the students to serve the community in this capacity.

This is the fourth year Waynesburg students have been involved with the VITA program. Students represent a variety of majors and according to Heider it is not uncommon to see students voluntarily assist year after year without the reward of academic credit. Students volunteer at the Waynesburg, Carmichaels and Washington locations and typically clock more than 30 individual volunteer hours.

In 2008, Waynesburg students clocked nearly 680 training hours and 2,000 tax preparation hours among 139 refunds. Students saved those involved with the program more than $42,000 in filing fees and collected nearly $120,000 in returns. More than $150,000 was brought back into Greene County as a result of the VITA program and Waynesburg University students. Last year, students prepared 210 returns, saved participants $63,000 in filing fees and generated $163,303 in refunds. In addition, students also helped qualifying low-income wage earners receive $53,981 in Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Heider is pleased with the program's results and believes her students benefit in a number of ways.

"They learn lessons about working with the general public and are fortunate to have the opportunity to enhance abilities and skills they wouldn't otherwise have," she said. "I am very proud of the way these students handle themselves."