CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Tax season is upon us, and instead of waiting until April 15 to file, you can get your taxes prepared for free at several locations across town.
It's called the VITA Program -- for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. Colleges such as Del Mar, Coastal Bend and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi participate.
If you earned $56,000 or less in 2019 you are eligible to receive free basic tax return preparation by qualified students.
Del Mar College begins offering its service Tuesday.
The program has been around for the last 18 years, in partnership with the IRS and United Way.
The program gives accounting students a chance to put their skills to use in a real-world setting.
Del Mar Accounting Professor Adelfino Palacios said his confidence level in his students to accurately prepare returns is high.
That's because all of the students who are preparing taxes have passed an exam by the IRS. On top of that, Palacios said every return is reviewed by a professor.
"So my students are getting real-world experience," he said. "They are learning how to do actual tax returns. They are learning how to deal with the public."
He said from a public standpoint, people are getting their tax returns done and they are saving money.
For a list of participating locations and a list of what to bring you can CLICK HERE.