High School Students Train for Tax Preparation

The next seasonal tax preparer hired for a community tax service may be a high school student.

USA Today reports that high schools across the country are turning students as young as freshmen into IRS-certified tax preparers and having them do free tax returns for low-income community members in partnership with the IRS' Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA).

 In a time where education reform is the subject of national conversation, and President Obama says he expects high schools to be able to graduate kids into the workforce, these programs are teaching kids real-life skills using real-life experience. Many may eventually become accounting majors and professional tax-preparers.

 What's more, the 16,000 or so returns prepared per year through the program and its companion program, Tax Counseling for the Elderly, endear the 77 schools providing free tax preparation to their surrounding communities. The programs together scored a total of $3.8 billion in tax refunds last year.

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Source:  USA Today