The poster advertises Creighton University’s student-run Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) clinics, held in the Heider College of Business building on campus. The program provided free tax preparation services to Omaha area residents earning $67,000 or less annually.

On Saturday mornings, instead of sleeping in or studying, students from Creighton University sit across from Omaha residents with stacks of paperwork, ready to take on one of the year’s most stressful tasks — filing taxes. 

Through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, accounting students in the Heider College of Business are helping community members file their returns for free, turning tax season into an opportunity for service. 

The program, which serves individuals earning $67,000 or less, operates through a series of student-run clinics each spring. On an annual basis, the clinics serve approximately 600 members of the greater Omaha community. 

Participation is required for students enrolled in Accounting 343, Principles of Taxation. 

“All students who take the class ACC 343 have to participate in the IRS voluntary program called VITA. This is completely free for individuals who seek to do their tax return for the year,” said Caroline Flores, a junior in the College of Business. 

Before any forms are filed, students guide clients through an eligibility screening — a step that introduces them to the realities behind each return. 

“We have requirements before they do their taxes. There is a checklist of questions to ensure that they qualify for us to do the return,” Flores said. 

That checklist reflects the complexity of real-life financial situations. 

“First, do they have their social security [card] physically with them? Second, do they make more than $67,000 each year? If they do, then we can’t do their taxes. Three, do they have any side gigs? Four, do they have any dependents? Five, are they married, and if so, is the spouse present?” Flores said. 

Once clients qualify, the focus shifts from requirements to relationships. 

“And then if they pass this checklist, they get assigned a pair of students at the table, and we then prepare their taxes,” Flores said. 

Students use the information and concepts learned in the Federal Tax Accounting class to facilitate the preparation of returns for community members, ensuring timeliness and compliance with tax filing rules, and enabling taxpayers to access vital tax benefits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and other credit programs designed to benefit lower-income taxpayers. 

For many students, the experience is about more than just applying tax codes. 

“It’s important to be friendly because we want to help these individuals,” Flores said. “We are taught that if we apply the core Jesuit values then we are doing a good service.” 

The clinics provide more than financial relief — they serve as a critical resource for the broader community. 

“I think the VITA clinics provide a valuable resource for the Omaha community, helping lower-income taxpayers meet their filing requirements and also to access certain tax benefits such as child and dependent tax credits and the Earned Income Tax Credit, both of which can provide vital refunds to help low-income taxpayers meet their financial needs,” said Deyna Rouse, assistant professor of practice in the Heider College of Business. 

Students rotate roles throughout the process, gaining a deeper understanding of both the technical and human sides of tax preparation. 

“So there are different roles, mine being the preparer. We are the first ones to work with the client,” Flores said. “My partner and I would switch tasks to either prepare the return or to fill out an additional checklist that we completed everything and is prepared to be reviewed.” 

Beyond Omaha, the program’s reach extends even further. 

“These students also provide free income tax preparation services to members of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska by traveling to reservation lands of the tribe and preparing returns for reservation members on-site,” Rouse said. 

The clinics also assist international students in meeting important filing requirements. 

“Additionally, the clinics facilitate filing of U.S. tax returns for international students attending Creighton and other local institutions, ensuring compliance for these students that is required to facilitate their continued eligibility for education access in the United States,” Rouse said. 

The clinics are held at the Mike and Josie Harper Center and are open to the public on a walk-in basis. The clinics were held on Feb. 7, Feb. 14, Feb. 21, Feb. 28 and March 21, with a final session scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow, March 28. 

Support from the Omaha business community helps sustain the program’s impact. 

“The importance of the clinics has been recognized by members of the Omaha business community, and Centris Federal Credit Union has even provided financial resources in the form of sponsorship to help facilitate the costs of putting on the clinics,” Rouse said. 

For students, the experience offers a glimpse into their future careers. 

“The clinics are also a great opportunity for student volunteers to get exposed to interacting with clients in a professional setting, problem solving and thinking on their feet and getting familiar with how a typical tax practice or professional services firm operates,” Rouse said. 

Leadership opportunities also play a key role in the program’s success. 

“Each year we also have 5-6 student coordinators that are responsible for organizing the clinics, providing training to student preparer and reviewer volunteers and facilitating the smooth operations of the clinics. These student coordinators take on a very important leadership role, without which the clinics simply couldn’t run,” Rouse said. 

Creighton accounting students have been participating in VITA for more than three decades. Three of the university’s current accounting faculty — Maggie Knight, Don Lux and Rouse — all served as VITA volunteers when attending Creighton as undergraduate students in the 1990s. 

For the students involved, the long hours and detailed work add up to something bigger — a chance to turn classroom lessons into real-world impact, one return at a time.