CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With tax day less than a week away, Del Mar College wants to remind residents to stop by and get serviced for free.
The service is called the Volunteer Income Tax Program.
The program returns after taking a three year pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, Del Mar College Accounting Professor Adelfino Palacios said hundreds of people have come through to get their taxes done.
"We're on target to serve between 500-600 people," he said.
They hope to offer support to community members during a stressful and sometimes confusing time. The service has been a generous tool for Del Mar Accounting student Yaneli Diaz, who said she didn't always have that kind of support when she first filed her taxes.
"I didn't have nobody to guide me. I had to go to one of those who do it for you like H&R Block," she said."
Palacios said the service also benefits those who plan on filing for an extension.
"It's an extension to file, not an extension to pay," he said. "If you owe money and you did file an extension, you'll probably receive a penalty for paying late, but there's also a penalty for filing late. By doing the extension, you avoid one penalty."
Residents are encouraged to not file for extensions, if possible, because they could potentially come back to haunt you.
"If you're applying for a home loan, if you're trying to apply for credit. If you owe the government or IRS money, it pops up and that could be quite a headache for you in trying to get a house, or trying to get a car," he said.
Diaz said that those who chose to seek the service can provide various forms of identification if they do not have their social security card.
"Do a picture in their phone if they have a picture or we could take it off some forms like their W-2," she said. "That has their whole social on there, we could just confirm with their Driver's License with the W-2 or another form with their whole social confirming that and an address."
Click here for a list of all the locations.
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