VITA is a free program that seeks to serve those with incomes of $67,000 or less, are disabled, have limited English ability, and seniors with their taxes. VITA is a program ran through the Bucks County Opportunity Council, VITA volunteers help those eligible receive maximum returns on their taxes and helps clients understand their tax situations.

VITA files Federal, State, and Local taxes, all for free. In 2024, the Bucks County Opportunity Council stated on the VITA section of their website that 1,433 Tax Returns were prepared resulting in a total of $2.2 Million dollars in Tax Services, (refunds, saved filing fees, credits, property tax and rent rebates) being provided.

As Tax season comes to a close, I am left to reflect on my time as a first time VITA volunteer. It was an amazing experience and opportunity to demystify taxes and have a direct impact on people’s lives. It was definitely a journey becoming more confident in preparing taxes and I owe it all to Natasha Johnson for being such a beacon of light throughout.

Natasha Johnson is a professor at Bucks that teaches various classes in relation to accounting and the site coordinator of the VITA site ran on the Bristol Bucks campus. Natasha was extremely kind and patient with me and I enjoyed the time I spent with her throughout the season. I had no experience in anything having to do with accounting or taxes, so I was fish straight out water.

Having no familiarity with taxes should not scare you out joining VITA, in fact it should be a reason to join.

VITA gave me a better understanding of taxes for free, both in the classes ran in January and in practice. I was initially scared that doing taxes would be an unenjoyable activity, as doing my own taxes was overwhelming and stressful. However, I surprisingly found it to be quite relaxing and rewarding. I surprised myself with going hours without listening to music, without getting distracted, overwhelmed, or bored.

I enjoyed the experience very much and plan on joining the team in the coming tax year in 2026. I encourage students of all majors to consider attending the free tax seminars either in person or on zoom.

Recruiting will start in the Fall of 2025 for a new batch of volunteers for the 2025 tax season. The program begins with free tax education classes every Saturday of January. I highly recommend students of any major join this program for a multitude of reasons.  This program offers hands-on experience that brings immediate change for clients. It is also helpful for building resumes, brushing up on your people and problem-solving skills, and exposes you to people of walks of life.

If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer https://bcoc.org/volunteer-opportunities/ or email [email protected] and [email protected] for more information. Note that you will need clearances if you have not lived in PA for more than 10 years through FBI fingerprinting, otherwise, you’ll just sign a waiver.

For those unfamiliar with the Bucks County Opportunity Council and their services, here is a quick blurb.

BCOC has five major program areas: Housing, Food, Weatherization, Volunteer Income Tax Preparation (VITA)and the Economic Self-Sufficiency (ES) Program. Housing includes street outreach, rental and move in aid, and utility shut-off prevention. Food services supply food directly to families through a network of 74 food pantries and distribution sites.

Weatherization services help families in reducing their energy costs. VITA provides free income tax preparation assistance. The ES Program assists individuals and families to leave poverty permanently through case management, education, and employment.

For 60 years, the Opportunity Council has served low-income families in Bucks County by helping them to stabilize when in crisis, garner resources to achieve a livable wage, gain additional education and training, and work towards economic self-sufficiency