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Sacramento County, California

Debby Nelson is about to begin her fourth year as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteer with United Way California Capital Region. VITA provides eligible Californians with free tax preparation services, in-person or virtually. 

I have a grown son, a daughter-in-law, and two wonderful grandchildren in college. I worked for the State Board of Equalization for 22 years and then I went to work in the private sector as an office manager for an environmental consulting firm. I have been completely retired now since 2017 and look for ways to fill my time. 

A few years ago, I happened to see an ad for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) free tax prep in the local newspaper, and I decided to volunteer.

I love it. 

The first year, I was a little nervous. It’s important work we’re doing, preparing someone’s taxes, and I wanted to get it right, but I didn’t have that kind of confidence yet. Thankfully we have quality reviewers and site coordinators who really, really know their stuff to help all the other volunteers throughout the process. In subsequent years, I developed more self-confidence. I’m going into my fourth year now, and I’m helping the primary trainer, who’s a long-time site coordinator, get materials together to train new volunteers this year.

VITA is important because paid tax preparers cost hundreds of dollars that most of our clients simply don’t have. The vast majority of our clients are just so grateful that we are there to provide the service. 

Volunteering with VITA is a win-win: Volunteers get the satisfaction of helping someone in their community, and clients get the satisfaction of knowing that their taxes are prepared correctly, at no cost.

I have a favorite story: A woman came in to have her taxes prepared, and she brought her adult brother, who had a disability and lived with her. He was there because she couldn’t find someone to stay home with him while she got her taxes done. I looked at her intake sheet and saw she didn’t list a dependent. I asked her some questions and determined that she hadn’t been claiming her brother as a dependent but could have been. By adding her brother as a dependent, she ended up with a refund that I remember being about $5,000 for that year. Then, I went back and filed an amended return for the previous year, when she hadn’t claimed her brother as a dependent, and she got another $8,000 (this was during the pandemic, when there were additional credits available). I don’t know who was more excited, the taxpayer or me! This was money she was entitled to and would not have received if she didn’t know she could claim her brother on her return. 

In addition to helping community members who come in to file their taxes, I’ve also worked with a lot of the same volunteers each year, and we’ve become friends. It’s nice to catch up with them each tax season. 

When I tell people about volunteering with VITA, they often tell me they wouldn’t know where to start. But no one expects you to know anything at the beginning. All volunteers go through an intense training program and IRS certification. Then, when you start, there are always other, more experienced preparers on site who you can ask. Plus, there’s always a highly experienced and qualified site coordinator who knows everything or knows where to go to find it quickly. No one expects you to know the tax code; all you need to know is where to go to look for the information or who to ask, and you’ll learn that in training. Plus, after the tax preparer fills in everything for the tax return, it goes to a quality reviewer who goes through it all to make sure nothing was missed or incorrect. The review process helps make sure the return is accurate, and it’s not all on you.

I encourage people to volunteer with VITA. It’s a very, very rewarding experience.

Interested in becoming a VITA volunteer in California? Fill out this form or text the word VOLUNTEER to 211-211 to get started today.