Volunteers are the heartbeat of free tax return preparation sites around Milwaukee
It's tax filing season, and this year, you have more options than ever before. If your taxes are really simple, DIY might be all you need. However — if you run a business or are self-employed, tax laws can be intricate. Or maybe you've made mistakes on past returns or are worried about potential audits. Those are all reasons to turn to a local professional. But it doesn't always have to cost you.
If you earned income from a single job, so you have just one W-2, and you have no dependents or significant deductions, preparing your own taxes will save you some money.
Watch: Should you do your taxes yourself, or hire a pro?
If you feel more comfortable handing things over to a tax pro, free tax prep is available thanks to volunteers like Mary Jo Driscoll.
"We can help people prepare their federal and Wisconsin tax returns," she said.
The IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free basic tax return preparation to qualified individuals.
"Our priority is 2024 but we will help people that need — maybe they didn't file last year, or the year before and need to catch up," said Driscoll. She is among the accounting students and volunteers at the VITA site at Milwaukee Area Technical College in Oak Creek. You can upload your tax documents online by clicking here or drop them off in person.
