Tax season is here and Pitt Business undergraduate students, for the 21st year, are ready to help qualified income taxpayers with U.S. or international tax returns.
The David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership at the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business is leading the collaboration with the College of Business Administration Beta Alpha Psi, the information professionals honor society.
Together, they are partnering with the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania to provide free assistance for the completion of 2022 tax returns and past returns from tax years 2019 to 2021, if needed. Qualified taxpayers include those with incomes under $57,000 per year. University students, employees, and area residents are encouraged to schedule an appointment. Details include:
Dates: February 3 through April 14, 2023 (Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
Location: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, JCEC Room on 2nd floor, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh 15213
Appointments: For face-to-face, schedule by calling 2-1-1 or visiting pa211sw.org.
Tax Refunds for the Underserved
Since 2002, about 30-40 Pitt Business students have volunteered yearly to support the Volunteer Tax Assistance Program (VITA), an IRS initiative to help the underserved through various partner organizations. In 2022, Pitt Business students generated over $400,000 in refunds to taxpayers, bringing the cumulative refunds to taxpayers since the start of the Oakland site to over $1.0 million.
Through its emphasis on experiential learning, this volunteer effort “challenges students to consider the impact of taxation while gaining experience working with individuals and families from the community,” said Jocelyn Carlin, the academic director of the VITA program and Pitt clinical associate professor of business administration.
This program has broadened the Berg Center’s impact by including faculty and students in a program that directly benefits the residents from communities in and around the University’s Oakland campus and assists our international population. In the 2022 and 2023 tax seasons, the program has expanded to include student volunteers from other majors at the University.
For more information about the Berg Center’s role, contact Jocelyn Carlin, JCL2@pitt.edu, or text your name and “VITA” (all capitalized) to 412-334-1074 for additional assistance.
