Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
VITA will be open Thursdays beginning Thursday, May 2, through Dec. 19, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Independence Day, Thursday, July 4 and Thanksgiving Day, Thursday Nov. 28.
They will schedule 8 appointments per day; 4 will be available to schedule online and 4 will be reserved for in-person sign-ups at the office. They will also see walk-ins depending on the availability of volunteer tax preparers.
It is strongly suggested that you book appointments no later than 2 p.m. if you have any of the following circumstances:
- Tour with multiple states, or
- Married couple filing jointly, particularly of you also have children and more than 10 W-2s or 1099s
VITA cannot promise to finish any such return if the process starts late in the day.
All the requirements imposed on VITA by the IRS (gross income less than $100K if single, less than $200K if married, no K-1’s, no rental income or corporations, among others) still apply. Please go through all the IRS and all the VITA worksheets posted on the website or given out at the VITA office and make sure that they are filled out and comply with their requirements before you come in for your appointment. As a reminder this service is only available to paid-up members of SAG-AFTRA and AEA.
Telephone (during office hours only): (212) 921-2548.
PLEASE READ ALL OF THE INFORMATION BELOW IF YOU WISH TO QUALIFY FOR FREE TAX ASSISTANCE
In advance of your appointment, please download and complete IRS Form 13614-C and the VITA Worksheets. These worksheets, which comply with IRS law, are required and must be completed before an appointment. If you do not have your worksheets completed before you arrive, you will not be seen. The IRS and VITA worksheets are posted below under Resources & Downloads. You must complete all of them - there are 8 forms in total.
PLEASE NOTE: VITA will prepare tax returns for those members who earn $100,000 or less (single) or $200,000 or less (married) and will prepare returns for members whose incomes are from wages, interest, dividends, unemployment, pensions/retirement, Social Security, investments, 1099-NEC independent contractor fees, 1099-MISC royalty earnings, alimony, jury pay, election poll worker pay and prize winnings.
IMPORTANT: Services will be provided only to those members who show an original or copy of the following: a paid-up union card, the Social Security card for every person listed on the tax return and a current driver’s license or state issued photo ID (front and back), if you have one, along with the completed IRS and VITA worksheets.
It is important that you have all of the worksheets completed as well as all necessary income statements and other documents gathered before you arrive to have your taxes prepared. You will not be seen unless you have everything ready. Documents must be presented in hard copy. No electronic statements will be accepted.
Missing a W-2 for a job you had? SAG-AFTRA does not issue W-2 tax forms. Instead, members receive them from the companies for which they've worked. Here is a list of contacts for your reference.
The posting of this information is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. The information provided is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of tax preparer/professional, legal or financial counsel. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided.
The New York City VITA program is headed by Site Coordinator, Gordon Stanley, and VITA Tax Director, Sandra Karas, who is Equity's Secretary-Treasurer and a SAG-AFTRA Local Board Member. The New York VITA program is the largest IRS-sponsored tax assistance program in the country specializing in performers' tax returns. The program prepares thousands of complex federal, state and local tax returns for members. A number of volunteers (many of whom are members) assist throughout tax season.
The VITA program is made possible with support from the AEA Foundation and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.