AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers helping older adults file taxes for free

DOYLESTOWN (WPVI) -- Paid Sponsor Partnership: Philadelphia Corporation for Aging

For the last eight years, Paul Hale has been volunteering with the AARP Foundation's Tax-Aide Program.

"Once I retired, I was looking for activities to keep me busy and this particular opportunity ticked a lot of the boxes," says Hale.

Longtime volunteer Pam Kummer serves as the PA1 assistant state coordinator.

"We're all volunteers," she says. "We provide tax assistance for free."

The program is geared towards older adults with low to moderate incomes, but anyone is welcome.

"People that are competent, but they're just not confident in doing their taxes," says Hale.

Hale is a site coordinator for the local program run out of Wesley Enhanced Living in Doylestown, Bucks County. He serves as a counselor and a trainer, handling everything from greeting people when they come in, to preparing tax returns for people.

"We see about 20 clients in total on an average day," says volunteer counselor John Fuhrmeister.

"Everything is always seen by two people," says Hale.

He says after he inputs the data to do the return, it gets handed off to a colleague who double checks his work.

"We electronically file the state and the federal return," says Fuhrmeister. "So when they walk out, there's nothing for them to do unless they have to make a payment."

The counselors are trained, tested and IRS-certified to do tax returns.

"Tax laws can be very complicated, and we are trained at an advanced level," says Kummer. "The IRS supplies us all of our training materials."

She says volunteers "don't need a math background."

"I enjoy the mental problems for the unusual returns that come in that makes you think about, well, how did this happen? Or how can we make this better?" he laughs.

Fuhrmeister, a retired accountant, says he started volunteering to give back, but has gotten so much in return.

"We have a great camaraderie," he says. "We have a lot of fun."

"The volunteers are fantastic, and they are extremely important. We really can use more volunteers," says Kummer.

"People seem so happy to have their taxes be done," says Fuhrmeister. "We're saving people money."

"They're quite appreciative and that's nice," says Hale.

For more information:

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide: https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp-taxaide/
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Site Locator: https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp-taxaide/locations/