Wow thanks for the info! I just tried emailing NewarkNow but the email address doesn't seem to work, I'll give them a call today. Maybe I'll see you there =)

I've been doing VITA myself for years, since graduate school. At present I volunteer with an organization in Newark, known as Newark Now. I looked around for an organization in Jersey City myself with no success either - supposedly a non-profit known as ACORN runs (or used to run) a VITA site in Jersey City but I emailed and called them several times with zero response. I don't know anything about them really, much as I've tried to find out.

So I volunteer with Newark Now instead. Even though I have to take the PATH to Newark, I really like volunteering with them because they are super-organized like no other VITA site I've seen. They have staff who screen all the clients first to make sure they don't make more than the $40,000 annual maximum (to be eligible for our assistance), and everything is done on computer with a very easy to use program called TaxWise that guides you through everything, and gets the returns done quickly. They are filed electronically and several printers spit out copies for the clients. As I'm sure you know, people making less than $40,000 really don't have that many complicated tax issues.

Anyway, if you're interested in volunteering, go to the website www.newarknow.org, 973-733-3460.

As for places other than Newark, there is of course Community Tax Aid in New York City, who I volunteered with before also but they're not as well organized because they don't have enough computers to go around for their volunteers and aren't even able to set them up at some sites (where returns must be prepared by hand), and aren't able to file returns electronically. Here's their website:

http://www.volunteernyc.org/org/1888463.html

In any case, very nice of you to volunteer your time to do this - I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing it myself, especially knowing that we're taking business from the likes of H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt, their poor service, outrageous fees and their usurious refund anticipation loans. Good luck and hope to see you this tax season or next.

I'm new to the area and ran some searches on this board and on google but didn't find anything..

Does anyone know if Jersey City has a VITA (volunteer income tax assistance) program? My google searches say Newark has one but nothing came up for Jersey City.

I did the program in college (at Rutgers, its technically run by the IRS), I was an accounting major, and now I work downtown NYC.. we were busy at work with filing corporate extensions and partnership returns for 3/15, but we don't do individual taxes, so now my Saturdays are free, and I thought I could be of service to the community (yes that sounds cheesy) on weekends until 4/15

I also did the Peace Corps in S. America pues si hablo espa?ol.

If JC doesn't have VITA, has anyone seen any other ads or anything for other program that might need volunteers to do income taxes for free for low income residents? Or if not in JC in nearby towns besides Newark? Does anyone have any contact info for the Newark program?

oh and I'm not a CPA, please don't msg me for complicated tax advice or anything, I'm still young and learning =) But I can do simple returns easily (W2 income, interest income, earned income credit etc)