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Happy New Year!
The early days of 2022 points to a new beginning.
For CTA that means preparing for our 53rd tax season.
FINALIZED TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE
All volunteers, regardless of experience level, must attend training. Our classes are as follows:
BASIC COURSE CONTENT: This class consists of an introduction to CTA and a review of Federal and New York State tax rules with special emphasis on the low-income individual. Additionally, we will review interviewing techniques. This class will be given via ZOOM on Saturday, January 29, 2022, from 9am to 5pm.
COMPUTER CLASS: This class will be given via ZOOM on Saturday, February 5, 2022, from 9am to 1pm. We will prepare a tax return using our tax software. This class is MANDATORY.
VOLUNTEER FORUM: This forum is a chance for you to ask us about anything CTA: questions on training, our materials, the virtual tax return process, your responsibilities, etc. It is also a way for us to get to know you and to help you navigate through this challenging season. This meeting will be given via ZOOM on Sunday, February 6, 2022, from 2pm to 4pm. This meeting is NOT mandatory.
For those who have completed the Basic Training class Zoom registration, you should have received a formal invitation to training by now. The invitation includes passcodes for the various classes and access to our training materials. It is suggested that you make hard copies of all training materials, making it easier, we believe, to follow the class. If you have any questions on our upcoming training classes, reach out to us at generalinfo@ctanyc.org.
WANTED: VOLUNTEER TAX PREPARERS
Pre-pandemic, CTA worked out of seven storefront locations. Storefronts are community donated space. We anticipate the bulk of the returns will be prepared virtually. The following storefront location will prepare returns on a face-to-face basis. It will also serve as our de-facto office and will be open on weekends starting Saturday, February 12, 2022, from 1pm to 5pm. COVID protocols will be in place and adhered to. Volunteers are needed at this location for the duration of the season.
Storefront: Fountain House
425 West 47th Street, 1st Floor
New York, NY 10036
Tax preparation schedule: Sunday, February 13 from 1pm to 5pm
Sunday, February 20 from 1pm to 5pm
Sunday, February 27 from 1pm to 5pm
Sunday, March 6 from 1pm to 5pm
Sunday, March 13 from 1pm to 5pm
Sunday, March 20 from 1pm to 5pm
Sunday, March 27 from 1pm to 5pm
Sunday, April 3 from 1pm to 5pm
Sunday, April 10 from 1pm to 5pm
Sunday, April 24 from 1pm to 5pm
NOTE: This location will not be open on Sunday, April 17 (Easter Sunday)
CTA is still reaching out to our other storefront partners about having their locations open to us. We will let you know of any developments as they happen. Requests for volunteers will be made then.
CTA is committed to preparing tax returns. Your wellbeing is just as important to us. Please consider volunteering your time at our storefront location. Thank you.
CTA EMAIL ACCOUNTS
CTA will be assigning CTA email accounts to everyone after the Basic training class. Once you are given this email, you MUST use it in all correspondence with CTA personnel and CTA clients. Communications using these accounts offer protection against sensitive materials being seen by unauthorized individuals. It also reinforces the fact that we are all professionals and we should act and communicate as professionals.
We anticipate a high number of returns will be prepared virtually, with limited, if any, face to face contact with the taxpayer or each other. To solve communication issues, we will rely on emails and Google Meet meetings amongst ourselves and our tech savvy taxpayers. As you can imagine, communicating in this manner poses its own challenges, with the vulnerability of taxpayer information being one of them. CTA email accounts should solve some security issues.
Managers and returning volunteers already have CTA email accounts and can access it at mail.ctanyc.org. Please note that our web address has changed from communitytaxaidnyc.org to ctanyc.org. For all other volunteers, you will be assigned a CTA email account after training. If you have any questions, send us an email (of course!) at generalinfo@ctanyc.org.
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD TAXES EVERYONE.
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