Volunteer opportunity: Become an AARP tax-aide
Do you enjoy working with numbers and with people? Here's a chance to join the nation’s largest volunteer-run tax preparation and assistance service—the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program, in conjunction with the IRS—to help seniors, low-income, disabled, and other disadvantaged taxpayers at sites across the metro area.
Positions needed are Preparers/Counselors, Document Facilitators, and Technical Supporters. You don't need experience with accounting or tax preparation, and you don't need to be an AARP member. AARP supplies training, computers, IRS-approved software, and reference materials. Volunteers may be reimbursed for qualified program-related expenses.
Preparers/Counselors receive six days of free training the first two weeks of January (32 hours of tax law and software use). Volunteers who pass the test are certified by the IRS, Minnesota Department of Revenue, and AARP to help taxpayers with Federal and Minnesota state income and property tax refund returns. The certification guarantees preparer’s protection.
Document Facilitators greet clients and help them organize their required documents before meeting with the preparers. Facilitators receive a half-day training in January.
Technical Supporters manage computer equipment, ensure taxpayer data security, and provide technical assistance to volunteers. No training is needed, but an AARP tax-aide supervisor will interview potential tech support specialists.
Working activity begins in February. You may attend a site in your home area. The commitment is for a weekly 3- to 4-hour shift for 10 weeks (consideration given for special circumstances that prevent this schedule). Shifts are mornings and afternoons Monday through Saturday.
Online application is required by December 1 for preparers and by January 1 for facilitators. An AARP district tax-aide supervisor will interview you by phone. For further application information, contact University Retirees Volunteer Center at 612-625-8016 or [email protected].
--Alan Kagan, URVC Coordinator
News
The election of UMRA officers and new board members for 2024–25 will be conducted via an online poll from May 13 to 19, with the results to be announced at our annual meeting on May 21. Look for the ballot in your email inbox on May 13. Diane Young has been nominated to be president-elect.
“I convinced myself I could handle this problem without support groups or doing additional research, but that’s only because I didn’t want to make it any more real than it already was. Denial comes in many forms, and one is to avoid thinking about the problem any more than need be.” —Alice A. Larson
Meet UMRA member Peter Moe. He retired in 2023 after a career that spanned nearly half a century at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and is credited with developing the “Arb” into one of the few in the U.S. with world-class fruit and landscape breeding programs.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) has welcomed two new members with valuable skills and experience to the URVC Leadership Council: Lynn Slifer and Jeanne Jacobson.
The University plans to remove retirees from the @umn.edu internet identity domain on December 7. UMRA has advocated for ensuring continued access to this identity (including email, Google Workspace, and associated services), citing University retirees’ enduring contributions to and engagement with the University. Thus far, our efforts have not prompted any change of plans.
Leading the online Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays has been a labor of love for Kris Bettin. Alas, a change in family needs has necessitated her retirement. So, JOIE is seeking a new leader to join a savvy editorial committee of five and bring fresh ideas for continued development of the UMRA-sponsored journal.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to explore your photographic interests, hone your photographic skills, and hear what other retirees are up to, the UMRA Photo Club is a great place to be. We have fun! And whatever your skill level, there is room for everybody.
Soon you will receive an email or letter inviting you to renew your UMRA membership for the 2024–25 year. Please renew before you get busy with your summer activities. Your support helps to make our programs and many other member benefits possible!
This will be a new regular column where you can find organizational tasks that need your help! We are currently looking for help researching a new UMRA Membership Database and URVC volunteer database, and a co-producer for UMRA's Zoom webinars. See more details: