Tax Preparation FAQ

• How it Works

  The Illinois CPA Society helps recruit volunteers to prepare taxes for low income families at the free tax preparation sites operated around the state by the Center for Economic Progress. The Center for Economic Progress operates all the training sessions and tax sites across the state. You can choose the tax site that is most convenient for you, and register as a volunteer at the Center for Economic Progress's website. Volunteers can register for the tax season beginning in November. Online training sessions are available from November to January and classroom training sessions will be in January.

• Experience & Training Requirements

  • You do not need experience in personal income tax returns or your CPA, but you must complete the full set of training sessions to volunteer.
  • The Center for Economic Progress will hold training on tax basics and tax preparation. Online training is available November - January and classroom training is held in January. 
  • New volunteers must complete two online trainings and two classroom trainings, totaling 7-9 hours. The training series for new volunteers, Basic Tax Preparation 1-4, should be completed in order and begins with Basic Tax Preparation 1, which is an online course. After completing Basic Tax Preparation 1-4, volunteers complete an open-book certification test. The test can be completed online and takes an additional 1-3 hours. 
  • Returning tax preparation volunteers complete a 30-minute online class on tax law updates and have access to additional review lessons. Advanced trainings may be available on topics including quality review, Schedule C and amended tax returns.
    
    

• Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

  CPE credits are a reward for dedicated volunteers, so please note that the Center for Economic Progress requires volunteers to meet their volunteer commitment in order to receive CPE credits. CPE certificates are available to volunteers who have attended classroom training, passed the current year’s IRS certification test, and volunteered at least 20 hours at one of the tax sites during the current tax season. Certificates are mailed in June.
  
  Volunteers wishing to receive CPE credits may request them at the time of volunteer registration or contact the Center for Economic Progress's Volunteer Services department at 312.630.0266. Volunteers who meet the requirements outlined above will receive one credit for each hour of classroom training attended. Additionally, the Center for Economic Progress is authorized to award CPE credits for online training at a rate of half the average completion time of the online course. For example, a participant completing an online course with an average completion time of two hours will earn one CPE credit.

• Locations

  See the Center for Economic Progress’s website for the full list of Tax Preparation site.

• Flexibility

  You can volunteer afternoon, evening and weekend hours to fit your schedule, but only volunteers who complete at least 20 hours of volunteer tax preparation during the tax season will be awarded CPE.

• Next Steps

  Register to Volunteer at the Center for Economic Progress website or call 312.630.0266.