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How AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Can Help You Today

We offer free tax return preparation to anyone who needs it. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers are trained to help you file a variety of income tax forms and schedules.

In certain situations, however, our volunteers may be unable to provide assistance. The Volunteer Protection Act requires that our volunteers stay within the scope of tax law and policies set by the IRS and AARP Foundation. Here's a guide to what our Tax-Aide volunteers can — and can't — do.

We can prepare most returns with:

  • Wages, interest, dividends, capital gains/losses, unemployment compensation, pensions and other retirement income, Social Security benefits
  • Self-employment income, with limits
  • Most income reported on Form 1099-MISC. or Form 1099-NEC
  • Schedule K-1 that includes only interest, dividends, capital gains/losses or royalties
  • Charitable cash contributions
  • Qualified Business Income deduction
  • Economic Impact Payments (aka Stimulus Payments)
  • Itemized deductions, including noncash contributions to charity that total no more than $5,000
  • Cancellation of nonbusiness credit card debt
  • IRA contributions — deductible or not
  • Most credits, such as earned income credit, education credits, child/additional child credit and credit for other dependents, child/dependent care credit, premium tax credit, simplified method foreign tax credit, self-employed sick leave or family leave credit, and retirement savings credit
  • Repayment of first-time homebuyer credit
  • Estimated tax payments
  • Injured spouse allocation, depending on state
  • Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
  • Amendments to filed returns
  • Prior three tax years’ returns

We can’t prepare returns with:

  • Self-employment if there are employees, losses, expenses that exceed $35,000, depreciation, business use of home, 1099 filing requirements or other complicating factors
  • Hobby income or other activities not for profit
  • Complicated capital gains/losses, such as futures or options
  • Complicated Schedule K-1
  • Rental income, except land-only rentals or rentals of personal residence less than 15 days*
  • Royalty income with expenses if not from self-employment
  • Tax on a Child’s Investment and Other Unearned Income (Kiddie Tax)
  • Farm income or expenses
  • Moving expenses*
  • Some investment income or itemized deductions that are not included in our training
  • Alternative Minimum Tax, Additional Medicare Tax, or Net Investment Income Tax
  • Foreign financial asset reporting requirements
  • Any virtual currency investment or transaction

* = 

Rental or moving: A volunteer can prepare returns for active duty military personnel only when the preparing volunteer is certified in the military module and another volunteer is certified to review military returns.