Course Introduction

Time Requirement: 8 minutes

Purpose

This lesson introduces students to the major components of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (VITA/TCE) Programs certification and tax return preparation processes.

Objectives

Describe the:

• Various course levels and certification process
• Responsibilities of a VITA/TCE volunteer
• Critical components involved in the return preparation process
• Resources available to assist you
• The procedures for helping a taxpayer with identity theft

Teaching the Lesson

Refer to the Lesson Plan for helpful instructor notes, visual aids, and Internet links. Prompt students to share what they know about VITA/TCE certification and tax return preparation processes.

Refer students who may want to work independently to Publication 4491, Course Introduction.

Key References

This lesson refers to the following publications and forms:

• Form 13614-C
• Pub 4012
• Pub 17
• Form 13614-C Job Aid
• Form 13615

All references to materials can be found by clicking the Job Aids button. There are also links to helpful tools that can be found on the irs.gov public portal. For this lesson, the student can link to the following sites for additional help:

• Volunteer in Your Community
• People Helping People - Volunteer Stories
• Link & Learn Taxes - Modules
• Volunteer Training Certification
• Volunteer Training Resources
• IRS Services - Volunteer Tax Assistance

TaxSlayer® Demos and Tutorials

It is recommended to go to the Practice Lab and access the latest TaxSlayer tutorial for this lesson. The TaxSlayer tutorials can be found by going to the Practice Lab and clicking the link for TaxSlayer IRS training.