Holyoke FBLA offers free, IRS-approved tax assistance

Death and taxes, the world’s two constants: Holyoke students are here to make the latter easier.

Pioneered by Ethan Schneller, Tayla Martin and Teagan Martin of Holyoke High School as a community service project, the local Future Business Leaders of America is set to help those making $60,000 annually or less file their taxes for free. Services are scheduled to run 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Wednesday until March 8, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday from Feb. 25 to March 4.

Aiding in the process are the school’s 20 FBLA members, organized under the direction of Lori Nelson, Holyoke business teacher. 

“It’s kind of scary, because it’s a big responsibility,” Nelson said, “but we have it together.”

According to Nelson, she has wanted to offer this service for the past five years: The students just needed training. An opportunity knocked, she said, when Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, added “new instructors and business managers” to its roster. Holyoke participation in their classes this semester, she continued, proved by far the largest – the next highest number, provided by Yuma High School, sat around four students.

“When NJC contacted us this year, we jumped on,” Schneller said. 

The first class through the college, he noted, allowed students to become certified tax preparers recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. Depending on the week, he continued, instructors tested student knowledge with “two to four quizzes on tax information.” The process continued for three weeks, with three different certification exams.

“These kids got three credit hours for getting their tax preparation certificate through NJC,” Nelson said. “And for actually doing the taxes, they’re going to get three additional credit hours.”

Students hosted their first tax-preparation session Wednesday, Feb. 8, though no one showed at the time. Thus far, they posted information through fliers, two advertisements in The Holyoke Enterprise and an article on the school website, but Nelson hopes to “get the word out” further through this article and a radio ad.

“What else can you do?” she said. “They want to get the word out, because usually, you have to pay $200 to get your taxes done anyplace. This should be a really great benefit for our community.”

For those with difficulty understanding the English language, she added, some of her students speak Spanish. Tax documents also can be read in Spanish. All information disclosed, she said, will be strictly confidential.

This week, Schneller said, the FBLA will host a presentation for Holyoke sixth graders on personal finance and taxes. Subjects will be “pretty basic,” he continued, ranging from tax categories to the legal consequences of not paying them.

“You have to file them, eventually, when you get older,” he said. “It’s important for kids to start learning now, so when they do get into the real world, it’s not a stressful process.”

The students’ work is offered through Tax Help Colorado’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, a service of the Mile High United Way nonprofit organization. For more information on the program, visit TaxHelpCO.org.