Assistant Dean of the Tillman School of Business Waylon Woodall talks with a student about the VITA Tax Assistance program. (Photo courtesy UMO)

Assistant Dean of the Tillman School of Business Waylon Woodall talks with a student about the VITA Tax Assistance program. (Photo courtesy UMO)

The Tillman School of Business Department of Accounting, Finance, Cybersecurity, & Applied Computer Science has kicked off 2024 VITA Program under the direction of Waylon Woodall, CPA.

VITA is an acronym for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. This program offers UMO students the opportunity to gain experience in preparing individual taxes for people who live in Mount Olive and its surrounding communities. This service is free to all taxpayers who are eligible to participate (generally taxpayers who make $60,000 or less in addition to other scope requirements).

The VITA season at UMO will take place from February 7 to April 10. During this time, the program will have open hours for tax document drop off for those in the community who would like to have their taxes prepared by VITA volunteers. Upon completion and quality review of each return, taxpayers will receive a call from the site coordinator to schedule a time to review their tax return before it is electronically submitted to the IRS.

If you or someone you know may be interested in having taxes prepared through the program, please use the resources below for more information:

• For information on taxpayer eligibility/scope requirements –

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p3676bsp.pdf

• For information on what to bring to the site – https://www.irs.gov/individuals/checklist-for-free-tax-return-preparation

• For information on how to schedule a drop off appointment – Either use this link provided (https://calendly.com/umovita/vita-appointment) or email Waylon Woodall at wwoodall@umo.edu.

• For general questions to the program coordinator – Email Waylon Woodall at wwoodall@umo.edu or call him at (919) 658-7675.

The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The Convention of Original Free Will Baptists founded the University. For more information, visit www.umo.edu.