VSU’s Beta Alpha Psi Students Offer Income Tax Assistance

The Valdosta State University chapter of Beta Alpha Psi recently kicked off its fourth year with the Internal Revenue Service’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. Fifteen students, all trained in tax law by the IRS, have volunteered to assist various underserved populations, especially low- to moderate-income earners, by providing free federal tax return preparation and electronic filing.

VALDOSTA — The Valdosta State University chapter of Beta Alpha Psi recently kicked off its fourth year with the Internal Revenue Service’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program.

The IRS VITA Program assists various underserved populations, especially low- to moderate-income earners, by providing free federal tax return preparation and electronic filing.

William Leader, president of Beta Alpha Psi, said that 15 VSU students — a mix of accounting and finance majors — volunteered their time to work with the IRS VITA Program this year. All of them passed tax law training that meets or exceeds IRS standards, including maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of all taxpayer information.

Students are available to meet with area taxpayers from 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays in the first floor lobby of VSU’s Health Sciences and Business Administration Building located at the intersection of Patterson Street and Pendleton Drive across from South Georgia Medical Center. Area residents who wish to utilize this service should have all their tax-related documents with them when they arrive on campus.

Appointments are not necessary.

All tax returns go through a quality review check prior to filing, and they are not filed until the taxpayer gives final approval.

The VSU student volunteers are supervised by Dr. Raymond Elson, certified public accountant, professor of accounting, and interim associate dean of the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration, and Dr. Candace Witherspoon, certified fraud examiner, associate professor of accounting, and interim head of the Department of Accounting.

During the 2021 tax-filing season, VSU’s student volunteers completed 113 tax returns through the IRS VITA Program, representing an estimated economic impact of $210,000.

Leader said Beta Alpha Psi is proud of its tradition of being a trusted and reliable source of tax preparation services for the community.

“It feels great to be able to make such a sizable impact on the community with our small but mighty chapter,” he added.

Beta Alpha Psi: The International Honor Organization for Financial Information Students and Professionals encourages the study and practice of accountancy, finance, business analytics, or digital technology; provides opportunities for service, professional development, and interaction among members and financial professionals; and fosters lifelong ethical, social, and public responsibilities.

VSU’s Department of Accounting recently earned extended specialized accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), placing it among the top two percent of collegiate accounting programs worldwide.

VSU’s College of Business Administration also earned extended AACSB accreditation for its Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration programs, maintaining its position among the top five percent of the world’s business schools.

AACSB accreditation helps to ensure that students are learning material that is most relevant to their particular field of study, preparing them to be effective leaders and lifelong learners capable of meeting the needs of a changing global society upon graduation.

Please contact Dr. Raymond Elson at relson@valdosta.edu or Dr. Candace Witherspoon at clwitherspoon@valdosta.edu for more information.