The closure of the United Way of Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro shocked the community a few weeks ago, including Dan Sullivan, site coordinator for Valley VITA for 10 years.
“We tried to salvage Valley VITA in some shape or fashion,” Sullivan, who served as a volunteer tax preparer and is also a Health Care Navigator for Enroll Virginia!, said.
For now, he is focused on pending 2023 tax returns through Valley VITA before access is lost with United Way‘s closure. He said that individuals with pending 2023 tax returns will be notified by telephone.
Many volunteer hours were necessary by community members and United Way staff to provide free tax preparation for community members whose annual income is $50,000 or less in the last 11 years. Sullivan said a lack of volunteers in early 2024 strained the program, which prepared returns for approximately 800 individuals. Last year, approximately 1,000 returns were prepared.
Although volunteers, Valley VITA tax preparers were trained and able to provide a Preparer’s Tax Identification Number (PTIN), which Sullivan said the IRS will begin enforcing with tax returns that are e-filed.
Some tax preparers are able to provide and charge for services without a PTIN and submit returns electronically, which shows that the return was “self prepared.”
“It’s not going to be a quality review of the return,” Sullivan said of free file programs, but Valley VITA will perhaps be able to provide the service for the 2024 tax season. Individuals would prepare their own return and file electronically, and have a phone number to call with questions. Broadband access will be required, but a higher income eligibility will also be allowed.
Concerned about community members who have been afforded the opportunity to have their taxes prepared for free and received a quality review through Valley VITA, Sullivan said other VITA programs are available in the area. Valley residents may go to VITA programs at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Harrisonburg or the Madison House at UVA, for which UVA students provide community service by volunteering as tax preparers. While more volunteers will be available at Madison House than at the Harrisonburg or Lexington programs, Sullivan said that appointments will be more limited than with Valley VITA. A program through AARP that is VITA for seniors.
However, another nonprofit in Staunton, Augusta County or Waynesboro picking up the program is too late for the 2024 tax season, which volunteers would have to be preparing for right now before the holiday season.
“I just hope somebody or some organization will step up,” Sullivan said of the 2025 tax season.
He added that by law any attorney can practice tax law even if they have not received formal training for tax prep.
Another complication not helping taxpayers is that Gov. Glenn Youngkin denied Virginians access to Direct File, a tax file system developed by the IRS to enable tax payers to directly file taxes for free. Only 12 states had access in 2023. Virginia lawmakers have encouraged Youngkin to allow Virginians to have access.
The closure of United Way comes at a challenging time with other local nonprofits may have their own struggles and would be unable to take on another program, especially one as intensive and volunteer based as Valley VITA. United Way handled weekly reports for Valley VITA during the tax season.
“The loss of United Way hurts all of the nonprofits,” Sullivan said.
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Rebecca Barnabi
