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How to Volunteer

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Boston EITC Coalition or MTAC partner organization! Feel free to direct any additional questions to Matt Lewis at matthew.lewis.jcs@cityofboston.gov.

 

1. Create an account with this website, so that you can view and sign up for events (training sessions, volunteer shifts, etc.). This will also allow us to track your progress and contact you about the volunteer experience that you are interested in.

 

2. Fill out your profile, user information, and site preferences as completely as possible. Then select the type of volunteer position in which you are interested. (There is a description of the different positions available at www.bostontaxhelp.com under the section "For Volunteers.") Note: you can change all of this information at a later date.

 

3. Attend a training session for your specific volunteer position: 

  

 FAFSA Coach Volunteers:

   For  Volunteer Fafsa (Free application for Federal student aid) Coach training go to http://tax-coalition.org/skill-building/skill-based-volunteers. This is an on-line course which provides a certifacte upon successful completion. Further training will be in person and these are listed on the Volunteer Event calender. Please e-mail or call Joanne Evans for any further questions or information. joanne.evans.jcs@cityofboston.gov or 617-918-5364.

   FAFSA Coaching tax sites are Roxbury Resource Center, Codman Square Tech Center and Dorchester House.

 

Credit Advising Volunteers:

  • Returning Credit Advisors may simply sign-up, select a site preference and then contact Joanne Evans at joanne.evans.jcs@cityofboston.gov or 617-918-5364
  •  New Credit Advisors must attend a credit advising training faciliated by a professional credit counselor from our partner organization, American Consumer Credit Counseling. Please sign up for one of the trainings listed on the Event Calendar.
  • Roxbury Resource Center will be piloting a "Financial Check-up" program. The program has been designed to combine Intake scredning/Credit advising/Benefits screening to offer the taxpayer a more holistic experience. Credit Advisors at this site will be Financial Guides and will require addtional training. This training will be approximately 2 hours and will be held the week before the tax site opens. We are very excited about this and hope new and returning volunteers will enjoy an even more rewarding volunteer experience. Please contact Joanne Evans at 617-918-5364 or joanne.evans.jcs@cityofboston.gov for more information.

 

Tax Preparer Volunteers: 

  • ALL Volunteer Tax Preparers must take and pass the Basic Certification Test.  This can be done on your own (go to our page explaining online certification for more information), or can be done at one of our Basic Tax Prep Training Sessions (see below for more details).
      
  • New Volunteers (Have never prepared tax returns using TaxWise): New volunteers must attend a Basic Tax Prep Training.  This training is 12 hours and is being held at several different locations (see event calendar for more information).  At the end of this training, New Volunteers will take the Basic Certification Test (see above).  Please Note: The certification is included in the Basic Training Sessions. You will need to attend all parts of the training to certify.
      
  • Returning Volunteers (Have previously prepared tax returns using TaxWise): Returning Volunteers are only required to take and pass the Basic Certification Test.  Returning Volunteers may take this test online, however, we encourage that they attend a Testing Session, as this is the best way to receive the latest tax law updates for the coming tax season.  We also encourage Returning Volunteers to certify through the Intermediate Level (read below for more information).
      
  • Tax Professionals (Professional Tax Preparers, Tax Lawyers and Accountants, or other experienced tax preparers):  These volunteers have the option to do their own online training and/or certification (refer here for more information), or they may attend our sessions if they wish. 
      
  • Intermediate Level Tax Training and Certification (Open to all volunteers): This option, while open to all volunteers, is mostly designed for Returning Volunteers who wish to increase the scope of returns they are eligible to prepare.  Signup for an Intermediate Tax Prep Training and a Basic & Intermediate Tax Prep Testing Session (again, volunteers may also take this test online on their own if they wish). New volunteers and those with little experience using TaxWise are encouraged to certify up to the basic level before signing up for this training.  ALL volunteers must certify through the Basic Level before taking the Intermediate Certification Test.