Berkeley VITA is a student-led UC Berkeley Public Service Center program that provides free tax return filing services to low-income communities in the East Bay and San Francisco.

The VITA program consists of two parts:

1) Fall 2018: Weekly DeCal designed to prepare students to take and successfully pass the IRS-sponsored Basic Certification Test in late November. The DeCal incorporates readings and discussions about poverty, income inequality, and the public policies surrounding these issues. Training materials, including official IRS publications and software tutorials, will be provided to students for free.

2) Spring 2019: Students begin volunteer work at one of the local sites with partnering organizations in Berkeley, Oakland, or San Francisco, and continue until the end of the tax season (April 17th). Students can receive 2 additional units for their volunteer work and apply to become a site leader.

No previous experience or knowledge of taxes is required!

Berkeley VITA is a YEAR-LONG commitment!