- Home
- Departments
- Senior Resource Center
- Services
- VITA Tax Information
VITA Tax Information
Welcome
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance is here to assist you with your taxes. Please read your options below for each of our locations and read through our FAQs near the bottom of the page.
NHC Senior Resource Center
(VITA Program): 2222 S College Rd., Wilmington, NC
*Site Operations: Jan. 30th through April 18th, 2023
- Forms are available at each location (you must complete specific forms for your tax location) and all tax paperwork with required documentation must be completed and signed prior to your arrival.
#1 Option: Face-to-Face Services
- No appointments necessary
- Pick-up tax packet and complete forms prior to your arrival
- Tax packets can be picked up at the Senior Resource Center during business hours
Days of Operation: Mondays 9am – 3pm and Wednesdays 9 am – 3pm
On Mondays and Wednesdays, the NHC Senior Resource Center will provide face-to-face tax preparation services from 9am – 3pm. No appointments necessary. You will be required to wait outside until you are invited inside to complete your taxes. First-come, first-served. If extremely high client volume, we will implement a ticket process which will offer you a designated time block to return. Once we have met our daily quota, we can’t help any additional clients until the next face-to-face day.
#2 Option: Drop-off/Virtual Services
- Appointments Required
- Pick-up tax packet and complete forms prior to your arrival
- Tax packets can be picked up at the Senior Resource Center during business hours
- Days of Operation: Tuesdays 9am – 11am; Thursdays 9am – 11am; Fridays 9am – 11am
All Drop-off/Virtual Service appointments have been filled for 2022 tax season.
Make Your ONLINE APPOINTMENT.
If you have a scheduled appointment, you will drop off your completed tax packet and supporting documents. Afterwards, a certified tax preparer will call you to verify your information and all document/tax prep/questions will take place over the phone. Client will be advised when they can come back to sign documents and pick-up their completed tax return. Please be sure to have a good phone number with working voicemail. Make sure voicemail is not full and that you are not blocking calls. If we cannot reach you in three attempts, we will return your tax documents without filing.
Key Points
- We won’t be preparing taxes for any past years (i.e. 2021, 2020, 2019) until March 1st, 2023.
- You MUST bring photo identification (or copies) for each party filing the return, and MUST bring original Social Security cards, copies of Social Security cards or a Social Security statement for all persons listed on the return, including dependents.
NHC Main Library 3rd Floor
(AARP Tax Aide): 201 Chestnut St., Wilmington, NC
*Site Operations: Feb. 1st through April 14th, 2023
- Forms are available at each location (you must complete specific forms for your tax location) and all tax paperwork with required documentation must be completed and signed prior to your arrival.
Face-to-Face Services
- Appointments Required
- Pick-up tax packet and complete forms prior to your arrival
- Tax packets can be picked up at this location during business hours
Days of Operation: Monday – Friday 10am – 1pm
All appointments have been filled for 2022 tax season.
Town of Carolina Beach
(VITA Program): 300 Cape Fear Blvd., Carolina Beach, NC
*Site Operations: Feb. 1st through April 18th, 2023
Face-to Face Services
- No appointments necessary
Days of Operation: Monday-Friday 12-4 pm; Saturday 8-Noon
For additional information about tax services at Carolina Beach please call: (910) 380-1220.
- Do I have to live in New Hanover County to have my taxes prepared at these locations?
-
No.
- Do I have to be an older adult to get my taxes prepared at these locations?
-
Although our focus is to serve older adults, we will prepare taxes for residents of any age.
- I am filing joint with my spouse. Do both of us need to be present at the physical location?
-
#1 Option: Face-to Face services. Yes, both parties need to be present during tax preparation.
#2 Option: Drop-off/Virtual services. No, if both parties have signed all required forms and the person dropping off documentation has a copy of both photo IDs and proof of social security to present at time of drop off.
- I am filing joint with my spouse. Do both of us need to be there to pick up our return once it is completed?
-
Yes, both parties must sign the Form 8879 in order for our preparers to e-file on your behalf. In special circumstances clients doing the Virtual Option may come in separately to sign.
- Will a passport work for photo identification?
-
Yes.
Returns We Cannot Prepare
Please be aware that there are certain returns that the IRS does not allow us to prepare. These are returns that contain “Out-of-Scope” items or are more complex than we can handle given the volume of our activity and the need to assist as many taxpayers as possible. While the list of Out-of-Scope items is extensive, the primary Out-of-Scope items that would prevent us from preparing your return are:
- You have income from property that you rented to someone else.
- You have income from the sale of property other than your personal residence.
- You have income from the sale of any virtual currency, such as Bitcoin.
- You have certain kinds of income reported on a tax form that is a “Schedule K-1” from a partnership, trust, or estate. For example, ordinary income or loss reported in box 1 of this form is Out of Scope. Investment income (interest, dividends, and capital gain) reported on a K-1 is generally in scope.
- You have income that would be reported on a Schedule C (self-employment or business income) and after deducting your expenses, the Schedule C would show a net loss (your expenses related to the activity are more than the income.)
- You conduct a complex business that you report on a Schedule C. We can do Schedule C’s that involve simple operations like reporting the income of a service provider who is not an employee, but we are not able to do more complicated Schedule C’s that involve sales, substantial costs (like inventory, substantial supplies), substantial bookkeeping, etc. These returns must be done by a paid preparer.
- You want to claim a credit for solar property or the purchase of an electric vehicle.
- You contributed property (such as clothing and furniture) other than cash to a charity and you want to claim that the value of the property is more than $500. (AARP tax aide programs can assist clients with non-cash charitable donations up to $5,000, but the VITA programs can only assist clients with non-cash charitable donations up to $500.)
- You have one or more complicated brokerage statement with complex items such as accrued interest, bonds, premium, etc. We can do simple brokerage statements but will not be able to accommodate returns with a significant number of brokerage statements or overly complex brokerage statements.
If you feel that you may have one of the Out-of-Scope items listed above, please call the VITA Program Coordinator at (910) 798-6406 to discuss your situation prior to scheduling an appointment.