UNL Tax Credit Campaign

Students

Why tax services for students?

Rarely do people like doing their own taxes, and students have a lot on their plate already. Furthermore, college is often the first time that students need to file their own return, a task which can be daunting. As part of the EIC Campaign, free tax services are provided for students with the help of fellow students!

How does it work?

You have to file if you made more than $3,600 last year, so let us prepare your statements for you! If you made less than $3,600, you don't have to file, but you might as well file and get a few dollars back from the government Certain types of scholarship and fellowship income must be declared, and certain educational expenses may qualify you for a tax credit or deduction. See our Guide to Scholarship Income, Educational Credits, and Tuition and Fees Deductions for more information.

Who is claiming you?

If you are a full time student under the age of 24 and did not provide more than half of your total support for the year, your parent or legal guardian can claim you as a dependent, regardless of student income. Often, it is more advantageous for your parents to claim you so that they can get extra money returned to them via educational credits. If you aren't sure which would be best, come in and see us, and we'll help figure it out.

When can I get my taxes done?

Become a Volunteer!

Volunteering for the UNL Tax Credit Campaign is easy, fun, and rewarding, helping provide low-income, working families and students with free and quality tax preparation services. We are looking for volunteers  to be:

Tax Preparers

Volunteers that will be helping with tax preparation have a few more requirements than other volunteers. Tax assistants must earn certification as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) and attend a TaxWise training session. Three sessions of optional training courses are given in order to help make sure a volunteer can pass the necessary certification test. If you do not have previous experience with taxes, don't worry!

There is no cost of training to become a tax assistant. All of your materials, software, training, and test(s) are provided by the Internal Revenue System (IRS), Lincoln Family Economic Coalition (CASH), and by Service-Learning. In order to serve in the capacity of a tax assistant, you should present your certificate denoting completing of volunteer certification to Service-Learning (222 Nebraska Union) by January 11, 2013. If you anticipate being unable to complete your certification by this time but would like to serve as a tax assistant, you should still attend the tax law workshops and software training and should contact Linda Moody, Ph. D. at 472-8158 about delaying the completion of your certification. There are five types of certification for tax preparers.

Certifications

There are three standard certifications and two specialty certifications. All volunteers helping people to prepare taxes must have at least the basic certification.

Standard certifications:

• Basic*
• Intermediate
• Advanced

*Required by all tax preparers.

Specialty certifications:

• International
• Military

We encourage everyone to achieve the highest level of certification that they can. With higher levels of certification you will be able to help more people.

Sign-up to Volunteer

Interpreters

Spanish interpreters are needed the most, but if you can interpret another language, let us know.

Sign-up to Volunteer

Greeters

Greeters help keep the tax site organized and on track by greeting clients, preparing folders, and keeping track of order.

Sign-up to Volunteer

Childcare Providers

UNL's tax credit campaign offers on-site childcare for our clients. Tax preparation requires focus and childcare providers are a big part in making a tax preparation successful. If you love to work with you children, this is your chance! We provide toys and books!

Sign-up to Volunteer

Volunteer Schedule

Community

How does the UNL Tax Credit Campaign work for me?

The UNL Tax Credit Campaign helps the community by offering free tax preparation for low-income, working families in the community. Families are especially encouraged to come in to try to maximize money returned to them by the Earned Income Credit (EIC).

What is EIC?

The Earned Income Credit (EIC) has become our nation's largest and most important anti-poverty program, offering an average of $1700 per year to each of 20 million low-income working families. As part of the federal tax code, these credits provide a unique financial opportunity for the working poor and they make a substantial impact on the economies of their communities. In short, you may qualify for special EIC credits on your taxes putting more money back into your pocket.

When can I get my taxes done?

What is the UNL Tax Credit Campaign?

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sponsored by Service-Learning, has joined the nation in the charge against poverty. In conjunction with the Lincoln Family Economic Security Partnership Coalition, UNL will be preparing low-income, working families' and students' taxes for free!

What is new for the 2011 tax year?

This year, the UNL Tax Credit Campaign will not only offer the same great tax preparation services, but also optional preparation of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The program also plans to begin offering tax refund debit cards as an alternative to direct deposits and mailed checks for those taxpayers who may not have a bank account but want to receive their refund as soon as possible.

Tax Preperation Schedule