Volunteer with Tax Help Program

Each year a team of more than 600 volunteers helps provide free tax preparation services to 20,000 low-income households in the community, resulting in over $35 million in refunds returned to the local economy.

No experience in accounting is required. We will provide all the training you need to become certified and will continue to support you with on-site staff throughout the tax season.

The season is winding down, but register below to help us out during the 2024 tax season. We’d love to have your help!

Learn more here about the precautions we’re taking to protect against coronavirus.

Ways you can volunteer

• Volunteer Tax Preparer
• Client Liaison
  

Volunteer Tax Preparer: Volunteers work directly with families to file their tax returns at one of our tax sites. Tax Preparers walk our clients through the tax preparation process and prepare returns using TaxSlayer software. We teach you everything you need to know in a required training (up to 8 hours for new volunteers—it is virtual and at your own pace). After training, volunteers complete an IRS Volunteer Tax Preparer certification test and are ready to start filing returns. Sign up here!

Client Liaison: As the first person a taxpayer encounters, the Client Liaison welcomes clients to the tax sites, screens for eligibility and preparedness, collects documents, and assembles the information necessary for the Tax Preparer to complete the tax return in an efficient manner. The Client Liaison plays a critical role in ensuring that clients have a quality experience. Volunteers will participate in a required 2-hour training online. Sign up here!

Time Commitment

Our tax sites are open from mid-January until the tax filing deadline. Volunteers are asked to serve 30 hours and can meet that commitment by serving a 3-hour shift most weeks of the tax season. We have multiple sites that are open weekdays, evenings, and weekends, giving you the flexibility to choose a location and time that’s convenient for you.

Safety

The health of our clients, volunteers, and staff is our utmost priority. We will be following guidelines from the CDC and Austin Public Health to protect against the Covid-19 virus as we commit to a completely in-person tax season in order to meet our clients’ needs. We are highly encouraging all volunteers to be fully vaccinated before participating in person at the tax sites.

Training

No experience is required, and we will provide all the training you need online—plus plenty of in-person support during the tax season from staff at each site.