Hamden VITA Tax Program Gives Back Record $1.35M In Refunds

HAMDEN, CT — It was a record year for Hamden’s Adult Ed VITA tax assistance program.

In its eighth year of operation, the group of volunteer tax preparers completed 874 tax returns for low-income households, resulting in a record $1.35 million in federal and state refunds in the recently completed program, according to Jim Emswiler, site coordinator for Hamden Adult Ed VITA.

Emswiler said the refunds helped “paid for food, lodging, heat and all the other necessities of life for people who really needed that support.”

“Since our tax prep is free, we also saved our clients about $250,000 by not going to commercial tax preparers,” Emswiler said.

The refunds represented a 40 percent increase compared to 2022, according to Emswiler.

Emswiler said more than 25 people volunteer each year for the program, which ran from Jan. 30 to April 17 this year.

The volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds, including Albertus Magnus College accounting majors, Quinnipiac University law students concentrating on tax law, community volunteers – often retired – from fields as varied as real estate, nonprofit work, teaching, business, and more.

Volunteer roles include greeters, tax preparers and quality reviewers. All tax preparers and reviewers are certified by the IRS at no charge, based on thorough testing.

Hamden Adult Ed VITA invites new volunteers year-round, with training and testing happening in December/January. For more information, email ma.emswiler1@gmail.com.

Hamden Adult Ed VITA is made possible through the support of Hamden Adult Ed, the Hamden school system, and United Way of Greater New Haven.