JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – A group of East Tennessee State University business student volunteers, under the guidance of accountancy faculty member Dr. Michelle Freeman, will offer free tax preparation assistance again this year through the Internal Revenue Service Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program.
ETSU is an approved VITA location, and with financial support from Eastman Credit
Union (ECU), student volunteers will assist taxpayers whose total household income
was $57,000 or less during tax year 2021. Tax preparation services will be offered
on the following Saturdays – Feb. 19, Feb. 26 and March 5 – from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.
at Sam Wilson Hall, room 130, on ETSU’s main campus.
Taxpayers must have an appointment. No walk-ins will be accepted. Those with an appointment
should arrive at least 15 minutes early to check in and fill out a questionnaire used
to complete the tax return.
Last year, about 15 graduate and undergraduate students successfully completed IRS
certification requirements in order to volunteer. Those volunteers were able to prepare
and assist members of the public with approximately 100 tax returns.
In addition to free basic income tax return preparation and electronic filing, volunteers
will inform taxpayers about special tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit,
Child Tax Credit and Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled.
Taxpayers are required to remain on site as the return is completed (for married-filing-joint
returns, both spouses must be present). While every effort is made to complete the
return in a timely and efficient manner, taxpayers should be advised the average wait
to have a return completed is an hour. More complex matters may take longer, so patience
and understanding are greatly appreciated.
Those who wish to have their tax return prepared at the ETSU VITA site must have the
following items in order to complete the tax return:
• Proof of identification – state or federal government issued picture ID
• Social Security cards for the taxpayer, spouse and any dependents on the tax return
• Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) assignment letter for the taxpayer,
spouse and dependents if you do not have a Social Security number
• Birth dates for the taxpayer, spouse and dependents on the tax return
• 2020 Income Tax Return (last year’s)
• Wage and earning statement(s) from all employers, including any W-2, W-2G 1099-R,
1099-Misc.
• Information regarding other income sources, if applicable
• Information for all deductions/credits, if applicable
• A record of any cash donations made during the year to churches or charitable organizations.
• Any tax documents needed to prepare the tax return, such as a W2, 1099-R, 1099-G
unemployment, 1095-A (marketplace insurance, if applicable) or tuition statements
• Interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099)
• Forms 1095-A, B and C, Health Coverage Statements, if applicable
• Proof of bank account routing and account numbers for direct deposit, such as a
blank check
• Total amounts paid to day care provider(s) and the day care provider’s tax identifying
number (the provider’s Social Security Number or business Employer Identification
Number), if appropriate
• Copies of 1099-T for tuition and fees paid by the taxpayer, spouse and any dependents
if applicable; and
• The amounts you received for the third economic income payment made in early 2021.
This letter is entitled Letter 6475 Your Third Economic Impact Payment. It will be
mailed in late January 2022.
• The letter you received concerning any advanced child tax payments you received
in 2021. The letter is entitled Letter 6419, 2021 advance CTC. It should be mailed
in December 2021 or January 2022.
• To file taxes electronically on a married-filing-joint tax return, both spouses
must be present to sign the required forms.
Some of the more complex tax items are outside the scope of the ETSU VITA program.
If your tax return includes any of the following items, ETSU VITA will NOT be able
to prepare your tax return:
• Taxpayers who cannot substantiate their identity with a method mentioned above
• Household income greater than $57,000
• Health savings accounts
• Rental income
• Cancellation of debt
This list is not comprehensive. Other tax items may fall beyond the scope of the ETSU
VITA Program.
Sam Wilson Hall is located at 200 Ross Drive, Johnson City.
For more information or to make an appointment, contact Valerie Swartz at 423-439-4432 or swartz@etsu.edu.
If you have additional questions regarding the type of tax returns that can be filed by ETSU’s VITA Program, please contact Dr. Michelle Freeman at freemanms@etsu.edu.
For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.