JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
The Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Tax Center will host training Dec. 16-20 to prepare for the upcoming tax season volunteer program that serves the JBSA community and provides volunteers knowledge on how to manage their taxes.
The class will cover the basics of tax law and the rules and variables considered when handling tax forms, LaMarr Queen, JBSA-Randolph Tax Center coordinator, said. It is hands-on training that will be presented in a light and fun atmosphere. All that is needed to attend and participate is base access.
"This course is designed to be user friendly," Michael Mullen, JBSA-Randolph Tax Center volunteer and course instructor, said. "We present it from a basic beginner's level so when volunteers come out, they don't need to have a lot of experience. The student and instructor work together asking questions, which usually makes it easier to learn."
When volunteers first complete the course, and every year thereafter, an additional certification is required to participate in the program, Queen said. Afterwards, the schedule asked of each volunteer during tax filing season, generally late January to mid April, is one four-hour shift per week.
During this process of handling an important financial part of individuals' lives, both the volunteer and the client can benefit.
"When people come in, they'll most likely know very little about their taxes and look to us to answer their questions," Queen said.
"One of the best parts of this program is the opportunity to learn how to do taxes," Mullen said. "Even if you decide that you don't want to volunteer, taxes are going to be a life skill you're going to use every year."
The program is completely volunteer driven and the JBSA-Randolph Tax Center saved 1,761 clients approximately $348,000 and refunded about $3.25 million during the past year.
For more information on the JBSA-Randolph Tax Center or to volunteer, contact Queen at 652-1040/6781.