Franchise Tax Board

Volunteers Wanted

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (VITA/TCE)
A VITA/TCE volunteer assists taxpayers in completing federal and state income tax returns and answering basic taxpayer questions.

Homeowners and Renters Assistance (HRA)
An HRA volunteer offers free assistance to the elderly and disabled with HRA claim preparation. HRA provides a once a year payment based on directly or indirectly paid property taxes. They also answer any claimant questions about the program.

What Is the Volunteer Program?

VITA/TCE
These volunteer programs help individuals with low income and/or over the age of 60 prepare their state and federal income tax returns. Assistance is available from February 1 to April 15.

VITA program helps taxpayers with basic tax returns. They specialize in assisting disabled taxpayers, those with low to limited income, and non-English speaking taxpayers.

TCE program provides free income tax assistance for middle or low-income taxpayers, giving special attention to those aged 60 and older.

HRA
HRA program provides claim form assistance to individuals 62 or older, blind, or disabled.

Each program has its own sponsors and volunteers.

All assistance is free of charge.

What Is a Site?

A site is a service location where taxpayers can go to ask questions or receive free trained volunteer assistance to complete their federal and state income tax returns or homeowner or renter assistance claim.

What Is a Sponsor?

A sponsor is usually a group or organization recruited to organize and manage a VITA, TCE, or HRA site within their community. This is a very valuable service.

Some sponsor organization examples are:

  • Community Centers
  • Libraries
  • Churches
  • Recreation Organizations
  • Schools
  • Cultural Centers
  • Senior Centers

A sponsor's responsibilities may include:

  • Recruiting volunteers.
  • Scheduling training.
  • Providing a site location.
  • Scheduling volunteer work hours.
  • Publicizing your program.
  • Ordering supplies.
  • Gathering volunteer statistics.

What Is a Site List?

A site list is a list of all sites (VITA/TCE or HRA) that provide assistance in California. We distribute the site list to legislative and congressional offices, social security offices, FTB and IRS information centers, state and locally funded information and referral centers, and other referral organizations. These organizations use the list to refer individuals who need assistance to the volunteer sites. The site list is also available on the Internet at www.ftb.ca.gov.

Can I Be a Volunteer?

VITA/TCE
You can be a volunteer if you:

HRA
You can be a volunteer if you:

  • Enjoy meeting and helping a variety of people.
  • Want to learn about the HRA program.
  • Have some administrative or publicity experience.
  • Have a sincere desire to help your community.
  • Are willing to attend a one-day class.
  • Can volunteer some hours from July 1 through October 15.
  • Sign up today!

Do You Provide Volunteer Training?

VITA/TCE
FTB and IRS provide free volunteer training. The training provides instructions for simple income tax return preparation, volunteer procedures, and volunteer report completion. Training is approximately 40 hours (32 hours of federal law and procedures, divided into four eight-hour sessions, and one eight-hour state law and procedures session). Many classes offer e-file training in conjunction with the tax law training.

We offer experienced volunteers a condensed version of the class. We also offer Internet based self-study training.

HRA
HRA volunteers receive four to eight hours of training every year depending on their experience level. Self-study is available for those who can't attend a classroom session.

Who Do I Call For More Information About Being a Sponsor or Volunteer?

To get more information on becoming a sponsor or volunteer for the VITA/TCE or HRA volunteer programs, contact the Public Education Team.