Frequently Asked Questions about Volunteering

In this section, we’ve tried to anticipate many of your questions about volunteering. If you do not find an answer to your question, please feel free to contact Volunteer Services at (312) 630-0244 or via e-mail.

• Where are your tax sites located?
• How do you screen clients?
• What support will I have as a volunteer?
• What is required to be a volunteer tax preparer?
• What does your volunteer training include?
• I don’t really want to prepare taxes, but your mission is really appealing to me. Is there any other way I can get involved?
• What if I make a mistake on someone’s tax return?
• I’m interested in getting my organization to volunteer. Can we request a special training session just for us at a place of our choosing?
• I have a group of people that are all interested in volunteering with your organization. We just want to volunteer once or twice as tax preparers and we want to do it all together. Can you accommodate us?
• I work at a bank and know a product that would really help a client. Can I offer the product to him?
• Who do I call if I’m going to be absent?
• When will I receive my Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits?

Where are your tax sites located?

Each tax season from January thru April, the Center operates volunteer-driven tax sites in more than 30 Illinois communities. We also hold one- to three-day “tax blasts” in several low-income communities throughout the state. To find the nearest tax site along with the days and times of operation, click here. To view a comprehensive list of our tax sites, click here.

Return to top

How do you screen clients?

We have income guidelines that help ensure the clients we serve are low-income. At each tax site, a coordinator is typically on hand and will review each client’s information to ensure the prospective client meets our service requirements.

What support will I have as a volunteer at your tax site?

At our tax sites, you will have access to trained tax professionals and veteran Center volunteers. You can also call the Center’s Volunteer Services staff at (312) 630-0288 to discuss any issues or concerns that cannot be solved on site.

What is required to be a volunteer tax preparer?

No experience is required. However, you must attend our 11-hour training and pass an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) certification test. You must be able to commit to volunteering one night (four hours) a week for 11 weeks at a Center tax site of your choosing. You must also be at least 18 years old to be a volunteer tax preparer.

What does your volunteer training include?

We offer four classes as part of volunteer training for our free tax preparation program: the first two are basic classes (required for new volunteers), the third focuses on expanded tax preparation (optional for new and returning volunteers), and the fourth is a refresher course (optional for new and returning volunteers).  All new and returning volunteers are required to take the Volunteer Certification and Practice class.

For new volunteers, the two required basic tax classes focus on how to use our tax preparation software and the tax situations you are likely to encounter while volunteering at one of our tax sites. Returning volunteers may opt to take only a refresher course and then complete the IRS certification test.

The classes are offered on weekday evenings and Saturdays throughout the month of January. Training for other opportunities varies by position and skill set.

I don’t really want to prepare taxes, but your mission is really appealing to me. Is there any other way I can get involved?

Of course! We have a variety of non-tax-preparation volunteer positions including greeter/screener roles, site assistants, and translators. To learn about all our volunteer opportunities, click here. You can also support our work by making a donation to the Center. Click here to donate now.

What if I make a mistake on someone’s tax return?

In the unlikely case that your site managers, who are trained tax professionals, do not catch an error on a tax return you’ve prepared, you would not be legally liable for the error, presuming you have a volunteer application on file and have passed the IRS certification exam. Additionally, the Center’s tax clinic can help correct any errors that are discovered on tax returns our volunteers prepared.

I’m interested in getting my organization to volunteer. Can we request a special training session just for us at a place of our choosing?

Due to our limited resources, the Center currently does not have the ability to offer training sessions beyond the ones already scheduled in January. To learn about our training schedule, click here.

I have a group of people that are all interested in volunteering with your organization. We just want to volunteer once or twice as tax preparers and we want to do it all together. Can you accommodate us?

We truly appreciate your desire to volunteer your time, but, unfortunately, we’re unable to train groups that cannot commit to volunteering on a regular basis during tax season (four hours per week for 11 weeks from January thru April).

I work at a bank and know a product that would really help a client. Can I offer the product to him?

Only registered bank representatives scheduled to be at one of our sites are allowed to offer products to our clients. You can read more about our ethics guidelines related to working with clients. If you are interested in learning how to become a registered bank partner, click here.

Who do I call if I’m going to be absent?

If you will be absent on a night you are scheduled to volunteer at our tax site, simply call your site manager.

If you do not have your site manager’s contact information, please call the Center’s Volunteer Services staff at (312) 630-0244 and they can notify your site manager.

When will I receive my Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits?

CPE certificates are available to volunteers who have attended our training, passed the IRS certification test and volunteered for at least 12 hours at one of our sites. Certificates are mailed after the tax season, usually in May.

For tax clinic volunteers, CPE certificates are mailed after the training session.