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IntroductionBecoming certified as Vita Tax Preparer requires satisfactory completion of an open book test each year. Annual certification is required even if you are a Tax Professional. The purpose of the open book test is to make sure you are familiar with filling tax forms and can follow instructions; the passing grade is 70% of the multiple choice questions; if you do not pass a section, you can take a retest. Tax PreparationCertified VITA Tax Preparer volunteers may assist certain taxpayers. Tax returns prepared by VITA volunteers are considered self-prepared by the taxpayer. VITA volunteers do not sign the tax returns as individuals; the return includes the Site ID for statistical and tracking purposes. The Tax Law Training teaches the basic concepts of income tax law and is sufficient for preparing tax returns on paper. Additional training is required to prepare taxes electronically. The IRS training for VITA volunteers does not qualify a volunteer to give tax advice or complete tax returns for pay; different requirements apply for preparing tax returns for pay. In addition, VITA volunteers prepare simple return. Tax Preparation for Pay The rules and requirements to become a paid (professional) tax preparer for federal and California income tax returns is available on the California Tax Education Council (CTEC) website. It requires completion of a certain number of hours of training each year from a recognized institution, obtaining a Surety Bond from an Insurance Company, and registering with the CTEC. People with certain other professional qualifications may be exempt from these requirement. Tax Law Training
TaxWise E-File Basic and Refresher Training
E-File training is a 3-hour training session
on using a computer program for completing the return on a
computer. The software for the 2007 Tax year is
TaxWise. In this training,
you will learn to complete the tax return on a computer and
create an E-File of the return. The E-File is a
computer file ready for transmission by internet to the IRS
and the State. While there are no formal
pre-requisites for the class, it will be difficult and
frustrating if you are not familiar with a PC or laptop and
Microsoft Windows, and if you are not familiar with Tax Law. If you have used other tax preparation
software in the past, this training will be easy.
This software is different from software used for preparing
tax returns at home since it supports the
preparation of a large number of tax returns by a person
familiar with the software, and does not have many of the menus and questions that come with software for
individual tax preparation. Sign-ups for E-file
Training will be announced on this Web-Site just as soon as the
information for it is available.
TaxWise Transmitter Training TaxWise Transmitter Training is a 3 hour training session on the administrative details of transmitting the E-File to the IRS and State. The pre-requisite is past experience with TaxWise. You must be very comfortable using a computer and the internet and TaxWise. You will learn the steps to transmit tax returns prepared at the site electronically over the internet, and to create or not create the supporting paperwork (remember that electronic filing is not the same as paperless filing) However, all the training is wasted if it is not wasted. Another way to learn transmitting is watching by doing. Potential transmitters should be encouraged to watch the Site E-file transmitter transmit the returns, and then transmit the return under the watchful eyes of the transmitter. That way the potential transmitter would be halfway there, and can pick up the rest fairly easily. TaxWise Online is more conducive to this approach than the Desktop version of Taxwise, since it would be possible for deal with the other steps of receiving and processing the acknowledgement which talking on the phone to the transmitter. For the desktop version, some arrangement must be made to access the transmitting computer. Additional Training For those who have undertaken VITA training, prepared taxes before, are familiar with TaxWise, and have received their certification, the thought on Saturday mornings of having to sit through hours of tax training is pretty unattractive, even with the best of intentions. Nevertheless, it is of value to be immersed in these issues so that you are mentally prepared and up to speed when the site opens the first day. For this reason, there will be a quick review session of changes in the tax laws, and additional training opportunities. Some coordinators provide additional training to prospective volunteers of their sites to discuss common problems that occurred in the past which were not presented in the formal training. Since each site has different approaches and processes, this will also be a forum for best practices. Active participation in discussions will be required in these additional training sessions. The additional training options will be presented through e-mail and with the start of classroom training.
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