GetYourRefund - Volunteer Signup
Be the change you wish to see...from home! Become a virtual volunteer with GetYourRefund.
No tax prep certification required!
GetYourRefund and GetCTC volunteers serve as the catalyst to connect low-income and no-income taxpayers to important tax benefits like the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit and missing stimulus payments. Our easy-to-use virtual platform provides an accessible way for many taxpayers to not only get connected to free tax preparation services through our partners, but also provide the option for new filers to submit their own simplified tax return directly to the IRS. And it’s our amazing volunteers who make it all happen!
💡 GetYourRefund and GetCTC are tax benefits platforms developed by Code for America, a nonprofit organization that believes government services should be simple, accessible, and easy to use for everyone, with outcomes that are just and equitable. Millions of families are eligible for thousands of dollars in tax benefits each year but don’t receive them because they haven’t filed a tax return. This year, more families than ever qualify for these expanded tax benefits. You can help these families by becoming a volunteer with us!
Ready to learn more?
Overview of the Role
Tax Benefits Screeners:
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| Assist taxpayers to complete the online onboarding process, verify their identity and answer their documentation questions. | Connect taxpayers to free in-person VITA tax preparation services. | Assist non-filers to submit simplified tax returns to receive missing Child Tax Credit and stimulus payments. |
FAQs
- The tax filing deadline is April 18, do you still need volunteers?
Yes, our program serves clients from January to October because many taxpayers need assistance with current and prior year returns and amendments. Plus, in May, our GetCTC portal is launching for nonfilers to claim their Child Tax Credit and missing stimulus payments!
- What is the desired skillset needed to be successful in this role?
Even though the service being offered is tax related, no actual tax knowledge or tax preparation experience is required to volunteer. This role is focused primarily on customer service and therefore no IRS tax preparation certification is required. There are just 2 ethics tests and our in-house virtual training that is required.
- What sort of impact will I have as a GYR volunteer?
By connecting taxpayers to free tax prep services or helping them access our non-filer tool to claim missing Child Tax Credit or stimulus payments, in a single shift you can generate up to $40-50K in refunds for as few as 4-6 families.
- I have another job, what’s the minimum commitment?
Since our volunteer opportunity is fully remote, tailoring your time commitment to your schedule is super easy and convenient. We just ask that you set aside 3-6 hours per week (days, evening or weekends) in order to participate in the program. Consistency is key to keeping up with taxpayers and the overall process (which tends to evolve in response to the clients being served).
- I’m new to the volunteer tax world, what is VITA?
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (aka VITA) is a program that came out of the IRS over 50 years ago and was designed to help low-income taxpayers file their income tax returns for free. The program has been wildly successful and nonprofits all over the country offer VITA services to low-income communities as a means to fight poverty and promote financial stability. While we are not an official VITA site, we operate in the VITA universe by connecting taxpayers to local VITA orgs, to free VITA DIY tax software and to our simplified filing tool (for nonfilers).
- I’ve volunteered with VITA before, how is this opportunity similar?
This position is similar to the Greeter or Intake Specialist role at a VITA in-person site. You will be the catalyst to get taxpayers connected to a VITA partner for tax prep (or DIY) or assist nonfilers complete our simplified filing tool (for CTC or EIP). You will need to take the 2 short IRS ethics tests but are not required to take any of the tax certification exams.
Questions?
Get them answered at one of our daily Info Sessions or send us an email at volunteer@getyourrefund.org