To prepare for the April 15 income tax filing deadline, many students are going online, while others are seeking face-to-face filing assistance.
While some students choose the option of filing their own taxes, others like Tyeisha Jackson, 20, a sophomore psychology student from Camden, N.J., turn to others for help.
“In the past I filed my taxes at H&R Block, and last year my cousin, who was an accountant, helped,” Jackson said. “I prefer for H&R Block to help me with my taxes.”
According to Margo Rosa-Croudace, district office manager for the H&R Block on 2510 North Monroe St., filing is not a difficult task.
“All we need is the W-2 form and to know whether the student is a dependent or not,” Rosa-Croudace said.
In addition to receiving a refund from taxable income on the job, Rosa-Croudace said some students might receive a bonus for the financial aid they received.
“If a student has a scholarship that is taxable it is considered income, but only if the student pays for books or tuition himself,” Jackson said.
If students do not have the time to file their taxes the traditionally way, they can file by using online filing websites such as www.hrblock.com.
Courtney Davis, 19, a freshman biology pre-med student from San Antonio, put his trust in online filing to do his taxes in 2002.
“It was simple and just takes a little time,” Davis said. “The benefits of filing online are that there are no hassles of having to keep up with files or records
Though online filing saves time, it does not necessarily compromise one’s feeling of security. Online tax filing sites like www.hrblock.com are protected by online security companies to ensure the privacy of its clients.
Block Financial Corporation is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Seal Program that provides the filer with security procedures that “protect against loss, misuse, or alteration of information under Block Financial Corporation control.”
Still, Rosa-Croudace advises students to carefully review everything regardless of how they file their taxes.
“Read each line carefully,” Rosa-Croudace said. “Not taking the time to read is one of the biggest mistakes people make.”
Brandon D. Oliver can be reached at oliv_12@msn.com.