Daniel Boone Regional Library is offering a few sessions of free tax preparation services each week. The program is organized by a group of volunteers from AARP. The library site is one of more than 5,000 service locations nationwide, according to AARP’s website.
AAPR Site Coordinator Michael Cox said they help people file tax returns electronically.
“Nationally, we are advertised and sponsored by AARP for elderly and low income,” Cox said, “but we will take anyone who comes in the door, with very few exceptions: you can’t own a farm; you can’t own a rental property that has a lot of depreciation.”
Cox said they can’t handle these special tax situations mainly because of the time they take.
“We are the busiest tax preparing site of the volunteer system in the state of Missouri,” Cox said.
Lauren Williams, adult and community services manager for the Daniel Boone Regional Library, said she appreciates what the volunteers do.
“I think it’s an invaluable service to our community,” Williams said. “We estimate that if you pay a tax preparer, it can cost around $150 to have that done. For many people in our community, that’s a huge barrier.”
“I can say that many of the volunteers have worked in finance in their work life,” Williams said. “So that they are familiar with doing the tax preparation.”
Columbia resident Myra Hodte said she comes here every year to have her taxes filled out.
“I had a very enjoyable experience,” Hodte said. “The tax preparers are very efficient and very good at what they do.”
“Before I started coming here, I was going to another company,” Hodte said. “They told me that I owed taxes that I was [going to] have to pay, and I didn’t. I came here and had them redone, and I ended up getting money back, a return.”
According to Cox, people must bring a picture ID and a social security card for everyone that’s on the return; or a document from the social security administration that shows full name and social security number.
Cox said the IRS deadline this year is April 18.