Free tax assistance will be available at Coastal Carolina University beginning Tuesday, Feb. 16, through Wednesday, March 30, through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service.

The University's accounting students will prepare and e-file basic tax returns for free for qualifying taxpayers. Qualifying taxpayers generally make $54,000 or less, are persons with disabilities, are elderly, or have limited English-speaking skills and need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. All volunteers are IRS-certified to provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.

Assistance will be available in Room 204 of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration building on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 7 p.m. and Wednesdays from 2 to 7 p.m. There will be no VITA hours from March 7 to 11 due to the Spring Break holiday.

Please bring a photo ID, Social Security cards for you and your dependents, W-2s, 1099s, tuition statements (form 1098-T), a copy of last year's tax return and any other information regarding your income taxes. To obtain a direct deposit of any refund, you will need to bring a voided check. On a married-filing-jointly tax return, both spouses must be present to sign the consent form. If you are a student, you must know whether you are a dependent on your parents' tax return. For more information on what to bring, visit irs.gov/Individuals/Checklist-for-Free-Tax-Return-Preparation.

If you plan to itemize your deductions, bring an organized and summarized list of medical expenses (including health insurance) and charitable contributions. For 2015, your itemized deductions would need to exceed $6,300 if single or $12,600 if married filing jointly for you to benefit from itemizing deductions.

Tax returns will be prepared on a first-come, first-served basis. No tax returns can be started within one hour of closing time. For more information, contact Bobbi Yurkin at bkyurkin@coastal.edu or 843-349-2574.