AARP offers free tax help events in BR
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The AARP is launching its annual Tax-Aide sessions on Monday.
Fifty-five volunteer counselors trained by the AARP and certified by the federal Internal Revenue Service will prepare tax returns for free for the elderly and people of modest incomes.
The Tax-Aide sessions are set to take place at seven locations around the Baton Rouge area. They will accept walk-up clients on a first-come, first-served basis through mid-April.
Federal income tax returns must be filed by April 15. State returns are due by May 15.
Earl Nelson, who led the training of the volunteer counselors, said the majority of their clients are elderly and most are living on retirement benefits.
“A lot of our clients are selling shares in mutual funds,” Nelson said. “We do a lot of that.”
But the AARP counselors don’t draw an age line, Nelson said. The counselors also will handle the tax returns for low- and middle-income taxpayers, he said.
The AARP volunteers are trained to assist in filing the 1040 form and the more standard schedules, including Schedules A and B. Electronic filing is offered at most sites with no charge to the taxpayers.
But the counselors cannot file extensions that would allow additional time to submit tax returns.
The volunteers can handle the proper reporting of a sale or foreclosure of home but draws the line at real estate development transactions, he said.
Nelson asked that people seeking free tax preparation bring with them last year’s tax return along with the appropriate financial data, such as, pay stubs, W-2s, stock sales, Social Security statements and property tax receipts.
Nelson is a retired certified public accountant who once headed the tax office at Amoco Corp. in Chicago. A native of south Louisiana, Nelson started helping train AARP counselors about 11 years ago.
Nationally the AARP Foundation reports that nationwide about 34,600 volunteer counselors help file about 2.6 million returns each year.
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