Flint, MI—University of Michigan-Flint accounting students will be available at the Flint Public Library on Saturdays until March 25 to help people with their taxes.
The assistance starts at 9 a.m. and ends when all slots are full.
Ann Manko, the adult services librarian, said there will be space for up to 55 people each Saturday. The accounting students will provide income tax assistance to people who made less than $60,000 on their 2022 tax returns.
Dr. Cathleen Miller, an associate accounting professor and department chair at UM-Flint, oversees the students. She said she has five current students and two former students volunteering this year.
Miller herself participated as a volunteer in the program when she was a student in the 80s, she said. Then, when she returned to be a professor in 1998, she started running the program herself.
In total, the Saturday sessions aim to provide tax help to about 450 people, Miller said.
“Just be patient with us, we will get to everyone that we can,” she said. “If they’re willing to wait a little bit into March, we will probably be able to get to them faster than we can right now.”
To receive help, people have to bring proof of income (W-2, 1099 or SSI benefits), proof of identity (driver’s license or state identification) and proof of Social Security number for every family member being claimed on their tax return.
Homeowners also must bring their 2022 property tax statements for both winter and summer to claim property tax credit. If people rent, they need to know their renter’s name and address, Miller said.
Those who purchased health insurance through the Healthcare Marketplace and received advanced premium payments must also bring Form 1095-A.
Library Communications Coordinator Shana Rowser said hosting events like this is part of the library’s purpose, which is to be a place of learning for all citizens.
“We provide services free to those that are in need,” Rowser said. “We offer a space for the community to be able to learn for life.”
Flint Public Library is located at 1026 E. Kearsley St. in Flint, Mich.
Are the students who prepare taxes doing them at the old downtown hotel like they did last year.