Volunteers needed for tax assistance -- a way of giving back Published Sept. 23, 2016 By Sandy Simison 88 ABW Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Additional volunteers are needed to provide tax assistance during the tax-filing season. “This is an excellent way to support our Air Force family,” said retired Col. Rick Shapiro of the Retiree Activities Office. “Hardly anybody does their own taxes anymore. They either use a commercial program that they have to prepare, or they hire a certified public accountant that they have to pay for.” Prior experience in tax preparation is desired but not required. A free, one-week training course will be provided by instructors on TaxSlayer, a computerized tax software similar to TurboTax, from Jan. 9 - 13 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. There are two elements involved in tax preparation. One is to prepare the taxes and the other is to do quality control. Once the tax return is prepared, a well-qualified preparer comes in and does a quality control check. This program is becoming increasingly popular and now additional volunteer tax preparers are needed to meet demand. Volunteers get to share their tax expertise with other people and save their clients tax preparation fees. Volunteers should be retired officers, non-commissioned officers or highly qualified civilians and willing to work at least one-half day per week during the tax-filing season (early February through April 15). “The clients are very appreciative for the assistance,” said Shapiro. “They get the advantage of tax preparation without having to pay any fees and can be assured that their taxes are done correctly. Most of us have been doing taxes for quite a while.” Prior experience in tax preparation is desired but not required. A free, one-week training course will be provided by instructors on TaxSlayer, a computerized tax software similar to TurboTax, from Jan. 9 - 13 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. For more information, contact Shapiro at (937) 429-0812 or 304-4764.