SUNY Canton and Area Agencies Offer Free Tax Assistance

Students and faculty from SUNY Canton’s Accounting and Business programs are partnering with AARP Tax-Aide, the Potsdam Neighborhood Center, and SeaComm Federal Credit Union to offer free tax assistance at locations around the North Country.

The college’s program is overseen by Accounting Professor Ran Li and Legal Studies Professor Jondavid S. DeLong, while Site Coordinator Sheryl Campbell oversees the AARP Tax-Aide sites and the Potsdam Neighborhood Center venue is managed by Site Coordinator Nicole Duvé and Site Partner Kristal Hayes. Certified volunteer tax preparers from each of these programs join together to prepare returns during each of the several SeaComm Federal Credit Union “Super Saturdays” which are scheduled at various SeaComm locations throughout the filing season. This is the second year that the college has joined with outside agencies in an effort to offer this valuable assistance to a broader audience.

For more than 14 years, the VITA program at SUNY Canton has allowed students to help individuals correctly prepare their taxes while under the supervision of tax certified professionals.

At SUNY Canton, the free tax assistance will be available by appointment between January 30 and April 10 in SUNY Canton’s Accounting, Business and Finance Center in Cook Hall Room 100. The free service is offered to SUNY Canton students and income-qualified community members.

The College’s Financial Literacy Center and the School of Business and Liberal Arts sponsors the free tax preparation program with community partners as a service to those who cannot afford to visit an accountant or who are unable to prepare their taxes on their own.

For more information visit SUNY Canton’s VITA Webpage. To schedule an appointment at SUNY Canton, contact the School of Business and Liberal Arts by phone at (315) 386-7328. AARP Tax-Aide and other VITA sites are being run by the AARP Foundation, the Potsdam Neighborhood Center and SeaComm Federal Credit Union.

Locations include:

• Assistance from AARP Tax-Aide will be available in Canton, Massena, Potsdam and Ogdensburg. For more information, contact Sheryl Campbell at 315-212-0450.
• SeaComm will be providing tax help during the Super Saturday tax events by appointment only in Massena, Potsdam, Malone, Canton, Ogdensburg and Plattsburgh. Go to seacomm.org for the schedule and call 1-800-764-0566 for an appointment.
• Appointments through the Potsdam Neighborhood Center at 2 Park Street can be made by contacting Kristal Hayes at 315-265-3920.