United Way of King County Free Tax Volunteer (Jan 21-April 19) (In-Person) (Seattle)
Every year, United Way volunteers help thousands of low to middle-income community members prepare their taxes. For many clients, tax credits and refunds are critical to keeping food on the table, their car repaired, and a roof overhead.
How It Works
From January 21st to April 19th, 2025, volunteer-powered tax sites will offer free, walk-in tax preparation at locations across King County. As a volunteer, you can pick the time and location that works best for your schedule; you would serve at the same time and place for 13 weeks with other volunteers.
There are two roles to choose from at our tax sites: intake and tax preparation.
• Intake: This position does not involve tax preparation. Your role will be to “start the conversation” with every client who enters the tax site, making sure they feel welcome and are ready for tax prep. This is a great role for folks who have teenagers or a spouse who may want to join your volunteer shift!
• Tax Preparer: Volunteer tax preparers use IRS approved software to e-file tax returns, making sure taxpayers receive all the credits and refunds they are entitled to.
In 2024, each individual volunteer generated an average of $30,648 in refunds. That’s $442 back into the community for each hour volunteered!
What It Takes
From January 21st to April 19th, 2025, volunteer-powered tax sites will offer free, walk-in tax preparation at locations across King County. As a volunteer, you can pick the time and location that works best for your schedule; you would serve at the same time and place for 13 weeks with other volunteers, including fellow students, working professionals, and retirees. This year, there are 20 tax sites across King County where you can choose to volunteer, with options at most times of day and all days of the week.
Training: While it is helpful, you do not need any prior knowledge or training to volunteer. United Way will train you on tax preparation with a combination of a two-day in-person tax training, online supplemental resources, and onsite learning opportunities with tax site managers and other experienced volunteers. For intake, the training is a half-day.
Time commitment: United Way asks that volunteers commit to at least 1 shift per week for the duration of the tax season (from 1/21/2025 – 4/20/2025). Tax shifts are typically between 3.5 – 4 hours long.
Please note that this opportunity spans the quarter. We ask that student volunteers commit to all 13 weeks of the volunteer term, from January 21st to April 19th. It’s okay if you need to miss a week or two, but if you are interested in this opportunity, please commit to finishing out the last several weeks of the tax season. April 1st – 19th will be the busiest period for the tax program, and the site will be counting on you to keep coming to your shifts even though the winter quarter has ended.
Impact: Did you know that the average cost for basic tax form preparation is $220? The price only goes up for more complex returns, such as for folks who have self-employment income (including people earning money from the “gig economy,” doing work such as Lyft, Uber, Instacart, etc).
Since its inception in 2003, the Free Tax Prep Campaign has served more than 150,000 clients and distributed more than $200 million in refunds back into low-income King County homes– at no cost to our clients. All this work can only be accomplished with the help of our large, dedicated volunteer force, made up of individuals just like you. Whether it’s helping to greet folks at the door as they walk into the site or helping them directly with their taxes, by joining the tax campaign you can make a tangible difference in the lives of many people living in our community.
Contact if interested:
Casey Lantz (she/her/hers)
Outreach and Relationship Coordinator
Requirements:
- Must be 16 years old
- You will be required to attain IRS certifications for this role, but we will train you and provide all training material.