in from the time her husband had died? At stake was a rather large tax bill and the widow was afraid. Her daughter had tried but could not figure out the answer. A friend had told her they might get help at the community center nearby, from the AARP volunteers.

The tax counselor enlisted the help of her fellow volunteers, and everyone dug in and researched the issue. They sent the woman and her daughter home to collect more documentation. On the next visit, the counselors prepared a tax return for the woman which saved her thousands of dollars over what she expe

"I’m too old to go to jail" said the elderly gentleman as he approached the desk in the neighborhood senior center. Here he was, nearly 70 years old, with an IRS Demand for Payment of $14,000 in his hand.

The wording frightened him; as he read it, all he saw was "pay up or go straight to jail!" He was a good citizen and had always paid his fair share of taxes, and he was prepared to pay the amount he owed. But it would certainly put a big dent in his savings.

He had read about a program serving low to middle-income seniors age 60 and over, providing free free tax preparation and filing. It was available through AARP. He came to the senior center for his appointment, thinking that as a last hope, maybe they could help him. The counselor he spoke with was confident and knowledgeable. He suggested that they take some time and work together to review the situation. Perhaps the man would be able to pay less. It was worth looking into.

As it turned out. the tax counselor discovered an error and filed an amended return on the man's behalf. Months passed, and then one day, at the end of summer, the counselor received a call from a very happy senior citizen, who had just received a letter from the IRS accepting his amended return. As it turned out, the man would actually receive a small refund for a prior tax year, instead of having to pay the $14,000. He was overwhelmed on the phone, thanking the volunteer for his patience and diligence.

This is just one of many happy endings that occur every year as a result of the efforts of thousands of volunteer tax preparers who give of their time to help low and middle-income seniors file basic federal and state tax returns. While most returns are prepared and filed routinely, some volunteers have gone out of their way to tackle unique or challenging issues, much to the relief of many seniors throughout the country.

An elderly woman came to her appointment accompanied by her daughter, and both were confused and apprehensive about the woman’s tax situation. The woman’s husband had died, and she had subsequently sold the family home. At issue was how to calculate the basis for the gain on the house: Would it be the original purchase price? Half the gain from the date of purchase? Or the appreciated gain from the time her husband had died? At stake was a rather large tax bill and the widow was afraid. Her daughter had tried but could not figure out the answer. A friend had told her they might get help at the community center nearby, from the AARP volunteers.

The tax counselor enlisted the help of her fellow volunteers, and everyone dug in and researched the issue. They sent the woman and her daughter home to collect more documentation. On the next visit, the counselors prepared a tax return for the woman which saved her thousands of dollars over what she expec

ee tax preparation and filing. It was available through AARP. He came to the senior center for his appointment, thinking that as a last hope, maybe they could help him. The counselor he spoke with was confident and knowledgeable. He suggested that they take some time and work together to review the situation. Perhaps the man would be able to pay less. It was worth looking into.

As it turned out. the tax counselor discovered an error and filed an amended return on the man's behalf. Months passed, and then one day, at the end of summer, the counselor received a call from a very happy senior citizen, who had just received a letter from the IRS accepting his amended return. As it turned out, the man would actually receive a small refund for a prior tax year, instead of having to pay the $14,000. He was overwhelmed on the phone, thanking the volunteer for his patience and diligence.

This is just one of many happy endings that occur every year as a result of the efforts of thousands of volunteer tax preparers who give of their time to help low and middle-income seniors file basic federal and state tax returns. While most returns are prepared and filed routinely, some volunteers have gone out of their way to tackle unique or challenging issues, much to the relief of many seniors throughout the country.

An elderly woman came to her appointment accompanied by her daughter, and both were confused and apprehensive about the woman’s tax situation. The woman’s husband had died, and she had subsequently sold the family home. At issue was how to calculate the basis for the gain on the house: Would it be the original purchase price? Half the gain from the date of purchase? Or the appreciated gain from the time her husband had died? At stake was a rather large tax bill and the widow was afraid. Her daughter had tried but could not figure out the answer. A friend had told her they might get help at the community center nearby, from the AARP volunteers.

The tax counselor enlisted the help of her fellow volunteers, and everyone dug in and researched the issue. They sent the woman and her daughter home to collect more documentation. On the next visit, the counselors prepared a tax return for the woman which saved her thousands of dollars over what she expe

l from a very happy senior citizen, who had just received a letter from the IRS accepting his amended return. As it turned out, the man would actually receive a small refund for a prior tax year, instead of having to pay the $14,000. He was overwhelmed on the phone, thanking the volunteer for his patience and diligence.

This is just one of many happy endings that occur every year as a result of the efforts of thousands of volunteer tax preparers who give of their time to help low and middle-income seniors file basic federal and state tax returns. While most returns are prepared and filed routinely, some volunteers have gone out of their way to tackle unique or challenging issues, much to the relief of many seniors throughout the country.

An elderly woman came to her appointment accompanied by her daughter, and both were confused and apprehensive about the woman’s tax situation. The woman’s husband had died, and she had subsequently sold the family home. At issue was how to calculate the basis for the gain on the house: Would it be the original purchase price? Half the gain from the date of purchase? Or the appreciated gain from the time her husband had died? At stake was a rather large tax bill and the widow was afraid. Her daughter had tried but could not figure out the answer. A friend had told her they might get help at the community center nearby, from the AARP volunteers.

The tax counselor enlisted the help of her fellow volunteers, and everyone dug in and researched the issue. They sent the woman and her daughter home to collect more documentation. On the next visit, the counselors prepared a tax return for the woman which saved her thousands of dollars over what she expe

ns are prepared and filed routinely, some volunteers have gone out of their way to tackle unique or challenging issues, much to the relief of many seniors throughout the country.

An elderly woman came to her appointment accompanied by her daughter, and both were confused and apprehensive about the woman’s tax situation. The woman’s husband had died, and she had subsequently sold the family home. At issue was how to calculate the basis for the gain on the house: Would it be the original purchase price? Half the gain from the date of purchase? Or the appreciated gain from the time her husband had died? At stake was a rather large tax bill and the widow was afraid. Her daughter had tried but could not figure out the answer. A friend had told her they might get help at the community center nearby, from the AARP volunteers.

The tax counselor enlisted the help of her fellow volunteers, and everyone dug in and researched the issue. They sent the woman and her daughter home to collect more documentation. On the next visit, the counselors prepared a tax return for the woman which saved her thousands of dollars over what she expe

in from the time her husband had died? At stake was a rather large tax bill and the widow was afraid. Her daughter had tried but could not figure out the answer. A friend had told her they might get help at the community center nearby, from the AARP volunteers.

The tax counselor enlisted the help of her fellow volunteers, and everyone dug in and researched the issue. They sent the woman and her daughter home to collect more documentation. On the next visit, the counselors prepared a tax return for the woman which saved her thousands of dollars over what she expected to owe. Mother and daughter were thrilled and grateful for the effort and attention of the AARP volunteers.

The IRS estimates that as many as half the older people who do their own tax returns overpay, because they are not aware of credits and exclusions to which they are entitled. They do not get the overpayment back if there is nothing on their return to indicate they are entitled to some credit. On the other hand, if they make a calculation error and underpay, they are subject to a penalty.

Volunteer tax counselors for AARP's Tax Aide program receive comprehensive training in cooperation with the IRS and must pass the IRS certification test every year. Many volunteers are tax professionals, CPA’s, or enrolled agents, who give of their time to help persons who cannot afford professional fees. They prepare the basic IRS tax return forms: 1040EZ, 1040A and 1040 and handle forms necessary for such items as tax credit for the elderly and credit for child and dependent care. They also do state and local returns. The IRS has given AARP a 98% accuracy rate on all returns prepared by Tax Aide volunteers.

From February through April, tax assistance and preparation is done at temporary sites, such as senior centers, libraries, banks, community centers, and hospitals. Over 2 million taxpayers were served last year, by a nationwide volunteer corps of over 32,000 individuals in various program positions. AARP Tax Aide is the nation’s largest free volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service.