VITA roles

The role of the WSU-Hoops VITA Volunteer Screener

Step 1 – The WSU-VITA Return Coordinator will assign an interested potential taxpayer to you and provide contact information, along with a preferred meeting day and time (this information comes from a completed Google Form and Doodle poll).

Step 2 – You will contact the interested potential taxpayer by phone or email and make sure that we have a completed Form 14446 from the taxpayer. 

Step 3 – The Screener steers the taxpayer to a Zoom URL and provides them the Meeting ID and Passcode. The Screener will help the taxpayer get into Zoom over the phone. 

Step 4 – Authentication process: The Volunteer will confirm the taxpayer’s identity by comparing their face with photo identification they hold to the camera. Government-issued identification is required; possible forms of identification include driver’s license, passport, or state-issued identification card. We also examine their Social Security card using the camera. 

Step 5 – Assist the taxpayer with completing Form 13614-C. Assure that the taxpayer has her/his tax documents scanned or photographed and ready for upload.

Step 6 – The Screener will inform the taxpayer to email their documents to wsuvita@emailitin.com. In the subject line, they should write their last name and first name like this: Doe, John. Then they attach their photos and PDFs to the email.

Step 6 – The Screener will notify the WSU-VITA Return Coordinator that completed intake information is available.

Step 7 – After completing the screening process, delete all tax return information from your device(s).

The role of the WSU-Hoops VITA Return Preparer

Step 1 – You will receive an email from the WSU-Hoops VITA Return Coordinator that you have been assigned a tax return.

Step 2 – You will Zoom with the WSU-Hoops VITA Return Coordinator and she/he will confirm your identity by checking face with your ID.

Step 3 – You will receive a weblink and login instructions for retrieving confidential taxpayer documents.

Step 4 – The IRS-Certified Volunteer Preparer relies on the completed Form 13614-C to prepare the return using the online information provided by the taxpayer.

Step 5 – Contact the taxpayer by email to arrange a Zoom meeting to go over the return information and ask any questions you need answered to complete the return.

Step 6 – Save the completed return on TaxSlayer. Email the WSU-Hoops VITA Return Coordinator that the return is complete.

Step 7 – Upon completion of the quality review, you will contact the taxpayer to review the tax return. If the taxpayer is satisfied, ask the taxpayer to download, complete and sign Form 8879, and upload it to the IRS-approved online repository using the web link previously provided.

Step 8 – If the taxpayer is satisfied with the return provided to the Return Preparer after the quality review, the return can be sent to the taxpayer by email.

Step 9 – If the return will be filed electronically, send an email to the WSU-Hoops VITA Return Coordinator indicating that Form 8879 is complete and the return is ready to be filed electronically.

Step 10 – After completing the return, delete all tax return information from your device(s).

The Role of WSU-Hoops VITA Return Reviewer

Step 1 – You will receive an email from the WSU-Hoops VITA Return Coordinator asking you to become a VITA Return Reviewer. Alternately, the WSU-Hoops VITA Return Coordinator could self-assign Return Reviewer.

Step 2 – The Return Coordinator will video chat with you to confirm your identity by comparing your face with government-issued photo identification.

Step 3 – Review the return, supporting documents and Form 13614-C to assess the accuracy of the return.

Step 4 – Make any needed corrections or send the return back to the IRS-Certified Volunteer Preparer to make the corrections.

Step 5 – When corrections have been made to your satisfaction, complete the quality review portion of Form 13614-C and return the completed return on TaxSlayer.

Step 6 – Notify the VITA Return Coordinator by email to wsupullmanvita@gmail.com that you have completed the quality review and the review portion of Form 13614-C.

Step 7 – After completing the review process, delete all tax return information from your device(s).

The Role of the WSU-Hoops VITA Return Coordinator

Step 1 – You will maintain an Excel workbook that tracks each return as a line with the taxpayer’s name in column A. Steps 2-10 below will be columns where dates are entered for each return for the completion of each step. The Excel workbook will be saved and synced to a VITA Club OneDrive folder and shared with the Site Coordinator. 

Step 2 – You will assign an interested potential taxpayer to a qualified Volunteer Screener. You will contact the Volunteer Screener using videoconference to first confirm her/his identity by comparing face with picture ID.

Step 3 – You will provide the Volunteer Screener contact information about the taxpayer, the taxpayer’s preferred meeting day and time (this information comes from a completed Google Form and Doodle poll), and an upload web link for the Screener to share with the taxpayer if the taxpayer’s return appears to be qualified for VITA support.

Step 4 – The Volunteer Screener will contact you when the taxpayer, with help from the Screener, has uploaded Form 13614-C and its supporting tax documents. 

Step 5 – You will review the taxpayer’s documents online to assess whether the return can and should be prepared by a VITA volunteer and, if so, whether the volunteer must be qualified at the Basic or Advanced level. 

Step 6 – You will identify a qualified VITA Volunteer Preparer for the return, contact the Volunteer Preparer, and confirm her/his identity by comparing face to picture ID. 

Step 7 – You will share the TaxSlayer link and login instructions, and taxpayer contact information, with the VITA Volunteer Preparer. 

Step 8 – Upon receipt of the completed tax return from the VITA Volunteer Preparer, you will assign a qualified VITA Return Reviewer. You could assign yourself this task, if necessary and/or desired, since you did not prepare the return. If the Return Reviewer is not you, you will contact the Return Reviewer by teleconference and confirm her/his identity by comparison of face with photo ID, then transfer the return and supporting documents to the Return Reviewer.

Step 9 – Upon receipt of the reviewed tax return from the VITA Return Reviewer, you will review  the completed Form 13614-C and ascertain any remedial actions or queries that are needed to complete an accurate return. If needed, you will send the return with notes for required changes to the Return Preparer for revision. 

Step 10 – (If necessary.) Upon completion and receipt of the revised return from the Return Preparer, you will assess the corrections and either send it to the Return Preparer to deliver to the taxpayer (if the return is now satisfactory) or send it to the Return Reviewer by going back to Step 8.

Step 11 – After the return is filed, delete all tax return information from your device(s).

That’s a lot of info.. Please ask questions!

Email: wsupullmanvita@gmail.com
Facebook: WSU VITA – Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (@WSUVITA)
VITA President Email: William.hunt@wsu.edu