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For many people, tax season can bring unwanted stress, confusion and oftentimes expensive filing fees. At ����ԭ��, however, students are working to change that, one return at a time.  

Through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, accounting students provide free tax preparation services to community members while gaining hands-on experience that extends far beyond the classroom and gives students an opportunity to showcase their skills on their résumés when they begin applying for internships and jobs after graduation.  

"VITA is specifically designed to help low-income and elderly taxpayers, so that’s taxpayers with adjusted gross income, pretty much $69,000 or less, or if you’re 60 years or older,” Mindy Nett, CPA, associate professor in the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, told ����ԭ�� Today. “We can prepare and e-file your federal and state returns for free.”

The program, sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service, operates at ����ԭ�� through a partnership with that connects services across the Akron area.  

With more than 500 returns completed this year, the program continues to make a meaningful impact, offering free services to those who need them while preparing students for successful careers.

Now, after several semesters of operating as a special topics course, VITA has officially been approved as an experiential learning class, allowing students to earn academic credit while participating.  

“It’s really exciting. We have 39 students signed up for course credit,” Nett said. “Last year we had 15.”

For the students in the class, the experience provides a direct pathway into the professional world. Kayla Nagle, a graduate student in the program, has been with the VITA program for two years.

“When I first joined, I had never had an internship in tax,” Nagle said. “A few weeks after it ended, I started an internship in international tax.”

Beyond technical skills, students develop the ability to communicate complex financial concepts in a clear and approachable way. 

“You learn how to take complex accounting terms and put them into words that our clients can understand,” Nagle said. “One of my favorite parts of the program is teaching clients about how their income is taxed and seeing them really understand the system.”

Students regularly assist clients who may be unfamiliar with the tax system or unaware of what credits they qualify for.  

“VITA has impacted my personal growth by allowing me to interact with the people in my community,” Nagle said. “Being able to assist people for free and allow them to feel more knowledgeable is the best feeling in the world.”

As the program grows, its reach continues to expand across campus and the broader community. In addition to serving local residents, VITA now plays a key role in supporting international students, many of whom must navigate U.S. tax requirements for the first time. Students in the program are trained to assist individuals on F and J visas, helping them understand filing requirements.  

Learn more about the VITA program and how to get help with filing your taxes next season.