CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman County Public Library is booking appointments now for the AARP Foundation Tax Aide Program. The free program is for all ages, not just senior citizens, and will be available from Feb. 3 until April 14, 2020 Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at the library.
Cullman County Public Library System Director Sharon Townson said, “(On the) library-side, we’re furnishing the space,” while AARP Foundation Tax Aide Program Local Coordinator for Cullman County Kaye Walker shared, “We can help most taxpayers, as long as it’s within the scope of our program. We’re not going to do a business or a corporation or anything like that. If it’s a single individual kind of business like a painter, contractor, those kind of folks, we can do those taxes; it’s people that have to itemize and have to have inventory that we would not be able to help.”
Walker continued, “There’s no age requirement, our target audience are 50 and older and low- to middle-income range, but we will help taxpayers who are young and working, have families and even if someone comes in with a six-figure income, as long as it’s within the scope of our program we can do their taxes. It’s totally free; we sell nothing.”
Participants should bring the following to their appointments:
- All tax documents
- Photo ID
- Social Security card
- 2018 tax return
Most clients with appointments will have their taxes filed on the same day.
“Most clients will come in, they’ll get their taxes done, they’ll be reviewed, and they’ll leave with a final tax return and it will be electronically filed the same day,” said Walker. “It’s usually a one-day service. We require an independent person quality review for every return before they are filed.”
Townson stressed the program will only accept participants by appointment.
“They do want appointments because there are just not enough counselors; we have four. Last year we only had one (counselor) and could just not do walk-ins. Some of the (other) sites do allow walk-ins; you can look it up on the AARP website and it will tell you- there’s different churches, libraries, some will set up at senior centers, there’s a lot of different sites that do that, and this one is just not staffed enough yet (for walk-ins). No walk-ins because of the staffing issues.”
If interested in volunteering, visit www.aarp.org/giving-back/ and make sure “Tax Aide” is checked under “AARP Program.” If you volunteer now and get certified in time, you will be able to assist at the Cullman Library location or other locations should you desire.
To make an appointment for tax help, call 256-736-9961.
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