Ossining High School Accounting Students Prepare Returns for Taxpayers

When a co-worker told Yetta Lovett that students in Ossining were preparing tax returns at no charge, she assumed that they were in college.

Lovett, a Pleasantville resident, was surprised to learn that the tax preparers are trained Ossining High School students in Debra Jacoby’s accounting course. Junior Eddie Bowers worked on her return. She saved a few hundred dollars in tax preparation fees and left happy, satisfied with her experience.

“It’s great that OHS and the students provide the free service,” Lovett said. “I think it’s a really good experience. When I was in college, I took accounting classes but I didn’t get any hands-on experience.”

Eddie said Lovett’s tax return was the most complicated one he had worked on so far. He completed tax returns for some of his classmates who had part-time jobs, but this was his first big return. Interfaith Council volunteer Thomas McArdle was there to advise students on complex returns.

The Interfaith Council for Action Housing Network, an IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, has provided free tax preparation services to the community since 2005 and has partnered with Jacoby and her students for the last four years. This year, free tax preparation is available generally to people who earned $54,000 or less in 2015, as well as people with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency who need assistance.

“These young people are offering something very valuable,” said Quantel Bazemore, site coordinator for the Interfaith Council. “It’s free tax returns. Most people go to H&R Block and they pay hundreds of dollars.”

Every year, Jacoby, a certified public accountant, takes the certification test first and then prepares students for it. In addition to passing the exam, students must take an ethics test and sign a confidentiality agreement.

The number of people who use the program has been increasing, Jacoby said, from about 50 the first year to roughly 120 last year.

The first of eight tax preparation nights this year was Feb. 8, and students did returns for 34 taxpayers. The second week, they assisted 28 people. Students have to volunteer for at least six hours during the eight weeks to meet their accounting course requirements.

“This program is an outstanding opportunity for OHS students to give back to the community in a very meaningful way,” OHS Principal Josh Mandel said. “Ms. Jacoby and all the students involved should be commended for implementing this program.”

Senior Kimberly Berger, 17, said she likes interacting with people and seeing how happy they are if they are due a refund. She had completed more than a dozen returns by late February, and the degree of complication varied from simple student returns to people with several jobs and more than one retirement plan.

“It’s fun. I like to do it,” she said, adding that she had already completed both her brothers’ tax returns and her own for 2015.

Senior Nick Murdock, 17, said he’s interested in studying business in college and “accounting is pretty much the basics.”

“It’s easy to work with people. I’m helping out the community, so I like it,” he said.

Senior Dayanna Rios, 18, took Jacoby’s accounting class last year and is back this year to review tax returns that her peers complete. “I plan to major in accounting in college and I just like doing the taxes,” she said. “I really like this experience. It was my first hands-on experience and it was really helpful.”

Tax preparation is available on a walk-in basis from 4-8 p.m. Mondays in room 111 at Ossining High School through April 11. Students start the last tax return of the evening at 7:15 p.m.