Low- and moderate-income Pasadena residents can have their federal and state tax returns prepared for free every Saturday by IRS-certified college students, at a nonprofit office less than a mile from Old Pasadena.
The service, run through Cal State LA’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program at Young & Healthy, 136 W. Peoria St., targets families who may qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit — worth up to $8,046 for a family with three or more children — and California’s CalEITC, which can return up to $3,756 to qualifying filers, according to the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board. Young & Healthy calls its version of the program “Tax Support+,” adding financial planning resources to the standard tax preparation.
About 230 Cal State LA students — most studying accounting or finance — volunteered for this year’s tax season after completing weeks of IRS training and certification, according to a Cal State LA news release. The program runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through April 11.
Last year, the program’s 139 volunteers prepared 2,132 tax returns that generated $3.1 million in refunds, according to Cal State LA. The year before that, 81 volunteers completed 2,307 returns for $3.5 million.
“The students telling each other about the program is the most effective way to recruit,” said John Cooper, associate professor in Cal State LA’s Department of Accounting and a co-faculty advisor for VITA. “They really enjoy it. They have a great time, they learn a lot, and it looks good on their résumé when they’re looking for jobs.”
About 90 percent of the program’s clients come from the surrounding community rather than the university, Cooper said.
Young & Healthy, a Pasadena nonprofit that has operated for 35 years, is known primarily for connecting low-income children with free medical, dental and mental health services through a network of more than 350 volunteer healthcare professionals. Co-Executive Director Liz Arnold has said the tax preparation work reflects a broader mission.
“We help with tax preparation, knowing that poverty is a major social determinant of health,” Arnold has said. “By giving families the opportunity to benefit from the EITC, we can return more money to these hard-working families and help them provide for the health and well-being of their children.”
The Earned Income Tax Credit is a refundable federal credit designed for low- to moderate-income workers. Families can qualify with incomes up to roughly $68,675, depending on filing status and number of children, according to the IRS. California’s version, the CalEITC, applies to filers earning $32,900 or less, according to the Franchise Tax Board. Filers with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, including undocumented immigrants, are eligible for the CalEITC.
The VITA program is co-sponsored by Cal State LA’s College of Business and Economics, the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board. It has been operating since the 1980s, according to Cal State LA.
Appointments at Young & Healthy are required. Residents can call 626-795-5166, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., to check eligibility and schedule a Saturday session. Clients should bring a photo ID, Social Security card or ITIN, W-2s, 1099s, tuition statements and other tax documents. More information is available at www.yhpasadena.org and www.
Cooper said he wants more people to know about the service. “We can do better this year,” he said. “We’re going to post flyers around campus and set up a table near the library. Hopefully, that helps.”
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