BAC 190 Tax Help Practicum

This course is an elective available to any Wilmington University undergraduate student. It is offered in cooperation with the Delaware EITC Campaign and The Nehemiah Gateway Community Development Corporation. It is graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. The course has two components: distance-learning and service-learning on tax law, tax theory, and tax return preparation. When students complete the academic distance-learning portion of the program, they participate in a community program helping low and moderate income taxpayers file their federal and state income tax returns. An emphasis is placed on tax credits which benefit lower income working families, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit, Dependent Care Tax Credit, etc. Following the on-line tax instruction, students complete 30 hours of community service (at least 3 hours per week between January 15 and April 15) at a local IRS VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) site. Students work under the supervision of a tax professional Site Manager whose job is to answer questions and review each return upon completion. The tax sites are certified by the IRS so that there is no student liability for errors. Students will be able to choose a tax site and schedule which is convenient to them. Students who successfully complete the course will be awarded the DE EITC Campaign/IRS certification. For students who have completed BAC 321, Tax Accounting I, participation in the academic portion of the course is voluntary; however, an eight-hour (one day) tutorial on the use of the tax preparation software is required. Graduate students are welcome in the course, but no graduate credit can be awarded.