Free income tax preparation assistance will be provided by Cal Poly Pomona accounting students and alumni to San Gabriel Valley residents March 17 - April 14 on the university campus as well as locations in Pomona, El Monte and La Puente.
Cal Poly Pomona's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) clinic is staffed by IRS-certified students preparing the returns and supervised by university faculty who are also certified public accountants. The program is available pro bono to most individuals or households making less than $60,000.
In-person and virtual appointments are available. To schedule an appointment, email accounting instructor Yan-Shu Zhao at yszhao@cpp.edu or call 909-869-2365.
An on-campus clinic will be held on Friday, March 17, 5 to 8 p.m. in Building 164, Room 1080.
Off campus, tax assistance programs are being held at:
Day One Organization - El Monte
10900 Mulhall St., El Monte, Calif. 91731
Dates: March 18, March 25, April 1, April 8, April 15
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Appointments: angelique@godayone.org
Day One Organization - Pomona
100 W. Second St., Pomona, Calif. 91766
Dates: March 18, March 25, April 1, April 8, April 15
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Appointments: angelique@godayone.org
Norwood Library
4550 Peck Road, El Monte, Calif. 91732
Dates: March 25, April 1
Time: noon to 5 p.m.
Sunkist Library
840 Puente Ave., La Puente, Calif. 91746
Date: April 8
Time: noon to 5 p.m.
Pomona Public Library
625 Garey Ave., Pomona, Calif. 91766
Dates: March 18, March 25, April 1, April 8, April 15
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Taxpayers using the service need to bring a photo ID and a social security card for each person listed on the return, and proof of income (W-2s and/or 1099s if applicable).
The deadline to file state and federal taxes has been extended to Oct. 16 for those residing in counties impacted by the winter storms, including Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties.
Serving the public since 2015, Cal Poly Pomona's VITA program has prepared 4,202 tax returns that resulted in more than $5.3 million in tax refunds. In 2022, volunteers prepared 250 returns that yielded more than $502,000 in tax refunds to community members.
"Through VITA, we try to provide the best possible tax services we can to the community," said Associate Professor Mohamed Gomaa, director of the General Master of Science in Accountancy and VITA programs. "We've had people who file their taxes every year at our site. Taxpayers depend on our services because they don't have to worry about paying high tax filing fees while also knowing they are receiving professional tax services."