VITA IS MADE POSSIBLE BY PURDUE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
Thanks to their generous support, United Way’s VITA program is able to provide free, reliable tax preparation services to our community.
WHAT IS VITA?
United Way of Greater Lafayette’s VITA Program provides free income tax assistance to eligible community members with the support of IRS-certified volunteers. We offer in-person, drop-off and virtual appointments at our Lafayette location.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR VITA?
Individuals (and/or couples, if filing jointly) earning $84,000 or less are generally eligible for VITA services.
Individuals are NOT eligible (out of scope) for the VITA program if any of the following apply:
- You bought, sold, exchanged, or received virtual assets (such as Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency)
- You own or manage a rental property
- You are selling a home under contract
- You have farm income
- You operate a business with employees and/or physical inventory
- You were self-employed and had a loss in the applicable tax year
- You purchased an electric vehicle and want to claim the tax credit
- You are a nonresident alien for tax purposes
SAVE TIME BY FILING VIRTUALLY
If you have a simple return, a virtual submission might be right for you. Complete our online intake form, upload your documents, and United Way will text you within 5-7 business days when your return is ready for pickup.
How it works:
- Step 1: Gather your documents – Take photos of Social Security cards, photo IDs, and any tax forms or letters.
- Step 2: Complete the online intake form below – Upload your documents as prompted and delete sensitive photos from your device afterward.
- Step 3: Save our number – Add (765) 237-9497 as “United Way VITA.” We’ll call or text with questions or when your return is ready.
- Step 4: Pick up your return – Once informed that your return is ready, come to our office Mon–Fri, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Please bring your photo ID and Social Security card so we can verify your identity.
SUBMIT YOUR TAX DOCUMENTS VIRTUALLY HERE
SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A CERTIFIED VOLUNTEER
If you would prefer a full-service or drop-off appointment, you can schedule an appointment online, or call us at 765-237-9497. This line can get very busy, so we might not always be able to answer, but if you leave us a message, we will get back to you as soon as we can!
Important items to note:
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Plan to arrive about 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time to complete intake paperwork. You can save time by picking up the forms in advance or downloading them here. Please bring the completed forms (4) to your appointment. Intake forms include IRS Form 13614-C, IRS Form 15080, Cover Sheet, Indiana Intake Form.
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A team member will review your intake paperwork to help clear up any questions before seating you with a volunteer tax preparer.
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For drop-off appointment and virtual appointments, make sure to add 765-237-9497 to your contacts as “United Way VITA.” We will call/text you from this number when your return is ready to pick up, or if we have questions along the way.
SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT IN LAFAYETTESCHEDULE APPOINTMENT IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY
FILE YOUR OWN TAXES, FOR FREE!
This program, offered by United Way in partnership with the IRS VITA program, lets you file your return on your own or with help from trained volunteers. Over 1.3 million filers have saved $260 million in tax preparation costs — and you can too!
FILE YOUR TAXES FOR FREE
VOLUNTEER WITH VITA
VITA is more than tax preparation — it’s about access, dignity and opportunity for our community members in need. Every return you help prepare makes a real financial impact for individuals and families in our community. Service is the true reward!
Training Requirements
Training/studying for the required IRS certifications can take 8-14 hours depending on experience level. This will vary from person to person. MEMORIZING THE MATERIAL IS NOT REQUIRED! The certifications and tax season are both open book. You just need to know how to use your resources to find answers.There are three required certifications for our VITA site:
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Volunteer Standards of Conduct
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Intake/Interview & Quality Review
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Advanced - (Basic is NOT required)
Level of Commitment
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This filing season will run from January 22nd to April 10th
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February is the busiest month and will require the highest volunter of volunteers. We will also need additional support doing Purdue's Spring Break
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Uphold the IRS Volunteer Standards of Conduct
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We ask that each volunteer commit to a minimum of 12 volunteeer hours. Please not, this is NOT a requirement, just helpful with planning and ensuring proper staffing for site operations.
INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE OR HAVE QUESTIONS?
General questions and scheduling — Call or text us at (765) 237-9497 or email taxes@uwlafayette.org
Volunteering — Contact Michelle Gorvie at mgorvie@uwlafayette.org
