Resources for tax season

Educate yourself. Even though staff development courses about TIAA-CREF are not specifically related to taxes, having a solid understanding of retirement accounts and other investments can help soothe your financial frenzy. For a list of courses and times: www.uiowa.edu/~fusstfdv.

It’s a numbers game. Whether it’s a W-4, a W-2, or a 1042, it’s important come tax preparation time. Hop on the UI Employee Self Service site online to check out the number of dependents you’re claiming or find year-end tax information. Go to http://hris.uiowa.edu/portal and type in your Hawk ID and password.

You’ve got questions? Payroll’s got answers. For specifics about earned income credit, e-forms, payroll vouchers, your paycheck, and more, see www.uiowa.edu/~payroll. (The site also has links to the IRS and the Iowa Department of Revenue & Finance.)

You don’t have to do it alone. University Book Store’s electronics department carries TurboTax software for PC and Mac. No guarantees you’ll find it in stock, though, with demand rising as April 15 fast approaches.

Meet face-to-face. IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers are a taxpayer’s one-stop resource for face-to-face tax help and solutions to tax problems every business day, says the IRS. The one for our area is located at 425 Second St. SE in Cedar Rapids. The center is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (closed from 1 to 2 p.m. for lunch). Walk-ins are welcome, or call (319) 364-5327 and leave a message.

Tippie College help. Through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, accounting students from the Beta Alpha Psi chapter in the UI Tippie College of Business provide free tax help and filing for low- and moderate-income taxpayers. They offer electronic filing, so that taxpayers can receive their tax refunds sooner. You do not need to pay to have your return prepared, and you do not need to pay to get your refund. All volunteers, accounting majors in the Tippie College of Business, have been certified by the IRS in preparing basic returns, and have had at least one tax course as part of their Tippie College coursework. For more information, including hours and locations of their VITA sites, go to http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/studorgs/bapsi/VITA/.