ECSU student applies accounting skills to help Vernon tax filers

Willimantic and Vernon, CT, March 2020 - As a senior accounting major at Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) and a volunteer with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, Chester Conn. native Elizabeth Forsythe is gaining hands-on volunteer experience and honing her skills for employment upon graduation.

In the process, she’s experiencing the satisfaction of helping low- to middle-income tax filers get their returns done accurately – and feeling the gratitude expressed by VITA clients for her services.

On Monday nights, Forsythe hits the pause button on her studies to travel from Willimantic to a VITA tax assistance site hosted by Kidsafe in Vernon, where she works with the site’s IRS-trained team to help people with household incomes up to $56,000 electronically file their federal and state taxes free of charge.

Forsythe first learned as a sophomore about the opportunities students had to support tax filers from her advisor, ECSU accounting professor Dr. Mohd Rujoub. “I was a little nervous about becoming a VITA volunteer, but after two years of being encouraged to sign up for the program, I decided to go for it,” she explains.

Forsythe and other ECSU accounting students attend a series of IRS-sponsored training sessions that prepare them to help people file their returns. “The VITA training program I attended was super informational; I was able to understand tax concepts and procedures to the point I felt confident in working with VITA clients. Everyone on our team helps each other, and Jess, our VITA site coordinator, is always there to answer questions,” Forsythe continues.

During her first week as a tax preparation assistant at the Kidsafe hosted VITA site in Vernon, Forsythe discovered that a female client was missing an important document she needed to complete her return. She had to ask the client to set a new appointment and bring the document the following week. “While the client was disappointed she couldn’t complete her return that evening, she specifically requested to work with me during the next session. It was so satisfying to know I had connected with her in this way! When we completed and filed her return the following week, she got emotional and told us how much the VITA program meant to her. Her kind words made being a VITA volunteer totally worth it!”

“Some may see barriers in supporting tax filers as unpaid volunteers, but once you realize you’re helping others and learning through the experience, your perspective changes,” Forsythe explains. “I thought I’d never want to do tax accounting but now I’m thinking about it as a career. The other volunteers I work with and the people who manage VITA from United Way and The Village for Families and Children are some of the most supportive I’ve ever met!”

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in Connecticut provides free tax preparation services, including filing for the Earned Income Tax Credit and other credits for individuals and families with 2019 incomes up to $56,000, persons with disabilities and limited-English-speaking taxpayers. IRS-trained VITA volunteers ask you the needed questions to help you obtain any applicable credits and refunds. They also prepare and e-file (electronically file) your tax return at no cost to you.

To schedule an appointment at a VITA location, visit 211CT.org and click on “Tax Help” or dial 2-1-1 and press 3 then 6.

In partnership with the IRS, and supported by hundreds of VITA volunteers, The Village for Families & Children, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, Human Resources Agency of New Britain and the Connecticut Association for Human Services manage VITA tax filing sites in Litchfield, Hartford, Tolland, Windham, Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex and New London Counties.