Volunteer Training Resources |
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VITA/TCE Training Supplement - New Tax Law and Other Updates
Publication 4491-X contains new tax law training and other updates to the VITA/TCE training products. Volunteer tax preparers and course instructors must complete the supplemental training in this Publication before assisting taxpayers. The Publication will be available on this Web site until mid-January 2009. Please download it for training purposes. See also the Other Technical Resources and Training Products section at the bottom of this page.
Specific topics include:
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Cancellation of Debt and Morgage Forgiveness
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Child Tax Credit
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Deduction for Education Expenses
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Deducation for State and Local General Sales Tax
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Energy Credits
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First-Time Homebuyers Credit
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Policy Guidance - IRC Sec. 7216 and VITA/TCE
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Recovery Rebate Credit
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Standard Deduction Worksheet
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Pen-and-ink Changes to Printed Products
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Tax-free Distributions from IRAs for Charitable Purposes
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Tuition and Fees Deduction
Student Training Kits
The curriculums are performance-based and use a process-based approach to engage each student in the return preparation process. Role-playing and demonstrations on how to use the technical tools to complete an accurate return are used extensively. Students will require one of the following kits for training:
- Publication 4480 - Link & Learn Taxes Kit consists of the exercise workbook (Publication 4491-W); Volunteer Resource Guide (Publication 4012) which should also be used at the site; and Form 6744 - Test/Retest. Publication 4480 is the cover transmittal for the kit. The electronic course evaluation form is part of Link & Learn Taxes.
- Publication 4491 - Student Training Kit consists of the Student Training Guide (Publication 4491), workbook (Publication 4491-W), Volunteer Resource Guide (Publication 4012) , Form 6744 - Test/Retest., a student course evaluation (Form 13222) and a carrying bag (Publication 1278.)
Instructor Training Kit
The Instructor Kit (Publication 4555) is available to volunteer instructors. It contains all of the content from the Student Guide (Publication 4491) above, but also includes instructional guidance in the margins. The other products in the Instructor Kit are Publication 4012, Form 6744 - Test/Retest. Form 13232 (course evaluations), and Documents 12107 (mailing labels for sending the course evaluations to the IRS.)
While all volunteers are encouraged to take the test online for electronic grading, immediate feedback and certification, the answers to the Test/Retest (Publication 4189) are available to instructors through the local IRS-SPEC Territory Office.
Instructors may find other helpful information in Publication 1084, (Site Coordinator Handbook) and on the Site Coordinator Corner.
Other Technical Resources and Training Products
Resources available to volunteers to assist them in completing accurate returns include individuals such as their partners, sponsors and site coordinators as well as information on IRS.gov. The following are additional technical resources and training products:
General
Foreign Student and Scholars and Puerto Rico
- Foreign Students and Scholars Resource Guide (Publication 4011)
- Foreign Students and Scholars Tool-kit (Publication 4152)
- Foreign Students and Scholars Test (Publication 4704 FS)
- Foreign Students and Scholars Test Answers (Publication 4704 FS-A)
- Volunteer Resource Guide (Publication 4696 PR)
- Puerto Rico Test for Volunteers (Publication 4695 PR)
- Instructor Guide and Test Answers (Publication 4695 PR-A)
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Page Last Reviewed or Updated: March 05, 2009