Continuing a tradition that has become nearly as inevitable as taxes themselves, accounting students from Niagara University’s College of Business Administration will again provide free tax preparation assistance to members of the Niagara Falls community this tax season.

This marks the 37th year that Niagara University has offered the service.

In 2017, 108 student volunteers helped local residents file 922 federal and state tax returns, totaling more than $665,210 in refunds.

Assistance will be provided from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Niagara University (St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 305) on the following dates:

  • Feb. 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22 and 27
  • March 1, 13, 15, 20, 22 and 27
  • April 3 and 5

In addition, sessions will also be held at the Doris W. Jones Family Resource Building (3001 9th St., Niagara Falls, N.Y.) from 12 to 4 p.m. on the following Saturdays:

  • Feb. 24
  • March 17

Appointments are accepted but not necessary to participate in this free service. Participants are asked to bring photo identification and their social security card.

Niagara’s program is coordinated by Dr. Ian Burt, a certified public accountant and accounting faculty member at the university.

Sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service, the program, called Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), is in its 37th year at Niagara. Under the program, NU students prepare and electronically file federal and state tax returns free of charge for elderly and low-income taxpayers in the community. The program is coordinated by members of Beta Alpha Psi, the international honor society for accounting, and the college’s Accounting Society.

Niagara University’s VITA program has garnered national accolades from Beta Alpha Psi, an organization with more than 300,000 members in 300 chapters on college and university campuses around the world.

For more information, please call 716.286.7328, dial 211 or visit www.niagara.edu/vita.