With tax season upon us, the Workforce Development Resource Center is gearing up to make the annual process a little easier, and affordable.

For the first time, the center is participating in the Internal Revenue Service’s VITA program, or Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. This program offers free tax preparation services to low- to moderate-income families with an annual income of $49,000 or less.

Certified volunteers will be available three days a week to prepare the tax documents. Registration is not required and the center will begin the tax assistance from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 24 at the Ohio University Southern, Proctorville center. Then it will be on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursdays from noon to 5 p.m. at the Workforce Development Resource Center. The sessions will go through April 14 at the schedule.

Job training director for the center, Jewell Hackworth, said people who want to take advantage of the free service should bring all the paperwork they would bring to any other tax preparer: bring proof of identification, Social Security cards for everyone in the household, birthdates for everyone in the household, wage and earnings statements from all employers, interest/dividends statements from banks, the last year’s federal and state tax returns, bank routing and accounting numbers for direct deposit.

Hackworth also said people need to bring information about their childcare providers such as the provider’s tax identification.

She said the VITA program is important for the community.

“A lot of people go to these different agencies and they pay several hundred dollars to have their taxes done and this way they can get the service for free and they will have more income coming to them,” Hackworth said. “Plus, being certified through the IRS, we have all the up-to-date tax information that can give them the best return.”

Hackworth said for the program to work, she needs volunteers to go through her certification process to prepare the tax documents. Training will be on Jan. 19 and 21 and a background in tax preparation is not necessary, she said. She said she needs at least eight volunteers.

“My biggest thing I need is a site coordinator,” Hackworth said. “They will oversee the whole tax process. They will have to the filing of the returns at the end of the day. They will have to check for accuracy and they also have to be certified.”

The site coordinator must have a background in tax preparation, she said, and will be paid $10 per hour.

To volunteer to help prepare taxes with the Workforce Development Resource Center, apply for site coordinator or find out more information about VITA, call Hackworth at 532-3140.