CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) — The United Way will be hosting the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) free tax prep program orientation to train volunteers to prepare income tax returns for low-income families.

The VITA free tax prep orientation will be held on  Saturday, December 7, 2019, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library located at 350 Pageant Ln #501.

VITA volunteers offer free tax preparation services to individuals and families who earned $66,000 or less per household in 2019. Volunteers also help qualifying individuals receive important credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Child Tax Credit (CTC) that lift millions out of poverty each year.

Many volunteers begin with no previous tax experience.

Last year, United Way’s VITA volunteers in Clarksville completed 664 returns, helping taxpayers save $181,272 in tax preparation fees.

Throughout Middle Tennessee, VITA volunteers completed 14,750 returns, helping taxpayers save more than $3.9 million in tax preparation fees and bringing more than $20 million in federal refunds back to the community.

The December 7 orientation is a chance to meet Clarksville’s VITA site coordinator and learn more about the various volunteer positions, including greeters/intake specialists, tax preparers, quality reviewers and site coordinators.

The site is open February 1 through April 15, 2020. Volunteers may visit www.volunteerforvita.org to register for orientation and training and select their VITA site.

All volunteers will receive classroom training by IRS-certified instructors. First-year volunteers usually start with a one-hour orientation and a seven-hour tax law class.

Tax Law Training will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 21 and Saturday, January 11. Returning volunteers or individuals with tax preparation experience usually attend the Tax Law Training. Tax professionals (CPAs, CFPs and enrolled agents) may earn up to 18 continuing education credits.

In 2020, United Way is partnering to operate 24 VITA sites throughout Middle Tennessee, including one location in Montgomery County. Residents can find the nearest VITA site in their community and more information about the program by visiting UnitedWayFileFree.com or through United Way’s 211 Helpline by texting their ZIP code to 89821

About United Way of Metropolitan Nashville

At United Way, we unite the community and mobilize resources so that every child, individual and family thrives. Together, we are fighting for a community where every child receives a quality education, no one lives in poverty or poor health, and the most basic needs of our families are met. We are uniquely positioned to the lead this fight by bringing individuals, businesses, nonprofits and government to the table to have the tough conversations, mobilize the resources and make the smart investments that will create lasting solutions for our region’s most pressing issues. LIVE UNITED. For more information, visit unitedwaynashville.org and follow us on social media @UWNashville.