Millikin University accounting students in the Tabor School of Business provided free tax preparation services to local residents in the Decatur, Ill., community before the filing deadline on Tuesday, April 18.
The service was hosted by the Decatur Public Library where Millikin IRS-certified students prepared, checked and filed federal and state tax forms as part of the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.
The students began the tax preparation services in January under the direction of Michael Brown, associate professor of accounting at Millikin.
"Millikin has been involved with the program since about 1993 and this year's series of free tax prep sessions, helping more than 900 people, kicked off in January," Brown said during an interview with the Herald & Review.
The services are available for families with incomes of less than $50,000 and individuals with incomes of less than $25,000.
"Part of the graduation requirement for Millikin business majors is in-field experience," said Brown. "The students receive credit for the service work and it fulfills graduation requirements."
In order to prepare taxes and perform quality reviews of returns the students had to pass the IRS Certification Exam.
The students help the clients complete the necessary paperwork, such as W-2s, W2G and 1099s, to see if they meet the qualifications, then file the forms. The students double check the client's information, including social security numbers, to make sure everything has been entered correctly. The students use the library's computers for electronic filing.
Kelsey Washburn, a junior accounting major from Decatur, said, "You are actually dealing with real money instead of just scenarios. It's different from the classroom."
