Commission on Economic Opportunity 

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is an Internal Revenue Service initiative designed to support free tax preparation service for low- to moderate-income individuals, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and limited English speakers file their Federal, State and Local income taxes each year. The Commission on Economic Opportunity serves as the lead agency for our community in this Federal IRS-sponsored program. CEO in conjunction with the Free File Tax Coalition, and with assistance from the Area Agency on Aging, is looking for assistance with the IRS VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program).  You can volunteer for as many or as few hours as you want; there is no minimum and hours are flexible. Assistance is needed in the following areas:

Phone Volunteers: Volunteers needed to schedule appointments for the VITA sites.  Good speaking voice, legible handwriting or printing, patience, ability to learn and follow some instruction. Phone volunteers must take a very basic Standards of Conduct and Ethics class and pass a test of the information.  Volunteer Agreement is signed and submitted for this work.  No real tax preparation is done by this volunteer. Hours can be anywhere from 9 AM to 4:30 PM at the CEO Main Office Location.

VITA Greeters/Drop-off Method Reviewer:  Ability to learn some basic tax preparation information and follow and explain instructions, review and assist in the completion of tax interview sheets, review of income and tax documents and acceptable forms of identification for prospective tax clients. Greeters must take a very basic Standards of Conduct and Ethics class and pass a test of the information.  Volunteer Agreement is signed and submitted for this work.  No real tax preparation is done by the greeter. Drop off times are Monday thru Thursday 9:30-11:30 & 1:30 -4:00. On Wednesdays we will have extended hours from 5:00pm to 7:00 pm.

Basic Tax Preparer/Advanced Tax Preparer:  Attends on-line instruction with written materials (in-person assistance from the VITA coordinator available if needed) in tax law training. Gains knowledge of, passes and becomes certified in the Basic and/or Advanced VITA/TaxSlayer Training earning an IRS VITA Certification. Upon certification, the volunteer will be assigned to do basic/advanced taxes dependent on level of certification.  Tax preparation is completed for clients who have dropped off their tax documents at an earlier time. 

Bilingual Spanish volunteers with business or tax background:  Assist clients and tax preparers by translating pertinent tax information and questions regarding this information.

To Learn More, Contact:

Briana Hughes
Commission on Economic Opportunity
165 Amber Lane, PO Box 1127 
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
(570)826-0510 x220

Click here for information on filing 2023 taxes.