Sarasota Library service offers free tax help for those in need

Mike Roberts said his favorite applications for volunteer tax-aide positions come from people with relatively little tax-preparation experience.

Roberts manages the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program in select Sarasota County libraries. He said he looks for applicants who have filed their own taxes before or perhaps assisted their neighbors in filing taxes.

“I love it. It's perfect. We can train you from there,” he said.

After all, Roberts describes the efforts of the program — funded by the AARP and certified by the IRS — as being by the community and for the community. 

Volunteers can come from all backgrounds, though experience as a certified public accountant can be helpful, Roberts said. Likewise, the program accepts users from all socioeconomic backgrounds. 

The only expectation of program users is that they request help with their taxes. Roberts said he's particularly interested in serving people with low or moderate incomes since they may not be able to afford a tax-preparation service.

The program remains available from Feb. 1 to the end of tax season, which is April 18 this year.

Ellen India, the adult services coordinator with Sarasota County Libraries, said the service follows the library’s overall purpose.

“This is our main mission. It’s in our DNA, so to speak. We play a key role in empowering community members in as many ways as we can, and one of them is financial stability.”

India said the library is also working with United States Suncoast to offer VITA Volunteer Income Tax Assistance at libraries that do not currently provide tax help.

This year, the VITA service is being offered at Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Public Library and is available until April 8.

Roberts said that as anyone who has ever tried to fill out their taxes knows, understanding what to do is never easy. 

Despite being a volunteer of 15 years, Roberts said, “I still run into situations where I look something up for somebody and it’s got something a little bit on the strange side. I have to read it three, four, five, six times to understand it.”

However, volunteers include some certified public accountants who can help with some of the more complex issues. 

India said due to difficulties with taxes, the popularity of the service has endured. 

“The demand always exceeds what we are able to provide,” she said. “They’re just such an important resource for the community. They’re always busy. They’re very popular at every location where we have them.”

Roberts, however, expressed concern about the roughly 35% decline that has followed COVID-19.

Roberts said there is a solid base of volunteers, with over 50 currently staffing all three libraries — Gulf Gate Library, Fruitville Public Library and Selby Public Library. But Roberts has seen significantly fewer younger individuals utilizing the service, with the demographics shifting to about 90% seniors.

Roberts hopes that awareness of the program will rise.

The process

Roberts said while tax-preparation experience is helpful in handling the more difficult cases, it isn’t necessary thanks to the training that volunteer tax-aides receive.

“I can take a school teacher and turn them into a tax preparer,” he said.

There is an exceptionally low error rate with the service. The quality of the service is due to software provided by the IRS in order to prevent errors, explained Roberts.

Photo by Ian Swaby

Training begins in December and extends to January, but volunteers can join the list at any time of the year. 

Volunteers must be certified by taking a test provided by the IRS. Volunteers' study materials for the test include binders approximately 3 inches thick. If volunteers fail twice, they cannot enter the program. If they pass, Roberts said, they are in for a rewarding experience.

“It’s very gratifying for us to be able to help people, especially poor to moderate income people,” he said, stating that the type of returns the service offers might cost $400 if managed by a CPA. 

Roseann Bonelli said on March 22 that it was her first time attending the tax service, calling the offering at the Fruitville Public Library “really great.”

“This year I got a refund, and didn’t have to pay to get it done,” she said. 

Liz Carlson, a citizen of the U.S. who has lived in Switzerland since 1981, said that living outside the country makes it more difficult for her to understand the tax code. 

“It’s close to impossible,” she said. 

She said she was glad that on March 22, while visiting her mother Donna Carlson in Sarasota, she happened to notice Selby Public Library was offering tax-prep assistance.

“They’re very helpful,” she said. “I’m really appreciative, and so glad I could come to the library to get this service."

If a person brings their driver's license, social security card and tax materials, the return will be filed electronically the same day.

“We don’t accept any tips,” Roberts said.

He said the service has succeeded in helping about 99% of the people that come through the door.

“If you could stay around for a day or two and just watch the gratitude, especially people who come in here for the first time, they want to get down on (their) knees and thank you for doing the taxes, especially for free," Roberts said.