Find out more about our partner ABCD
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program began at Wentworth in 2002 with the support of the Management faculty and the student group, Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). VITA trains students to prepare income taxes for low income clients in the community as a free service. The Center partners with ABCD Parker Hill/Fenway and the program is run out of that location. Students enjoy interacting with neighborhood residents, learning to work with a team of volunteers, and the opportunity to learn to prepare their own taxes. Over the last six years of VITA at Wentworth 915 filings have been made, 76 volunteers worked a combined 5,446 hours for a total return of $1,494,684.00. Last year students volunteered at the ABCD site one night a week to prepare and file taxes for Boston residents who earned less than $50,000 in the prior tax year.
Once at ABCD, their office staff supervises WIT student volunteers. In 2012, 6 Wentworth students volunteered 162 hours and prepared and filed 89 tax returns for a total of $256,649 returned to the community. Filing these 89 tax returns had an approximate value of $11,481 to the community, assuming the $129 cost of filing a tax return at HR Block in 2012. In addition, $2,000 was donated to ABCD to support supply costs for the duration of tax season, as well as $1,000 for the cost of food for volunteers preparing taxes. Since partnering at the ABCD Parker Hill/Fenway site, the average return on volunteer hour investment has increased 562%.
