The Tax Credit Alliance of Nebraska is recruiting volunteers for the 2027 tax season to help more Lincoln residents access free tax preparation services.
Katharina Stokes, project director for the alliance, a program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the organization had 74 volunteers last season and hopes to recruit as many as 100 for the upcoming season. Demand continues to exceed the program’s capacity, she told KLIN News. “So the more we have, of course, the more people we can serve. And every year we have more people that need our services than we can give.”
Last season, volunteers helped more than 2,400 people receive more than $3 million in refunds. Every available appointment was filled, Stokes said, leaving some people unable to receive assistance.
Those refunds help families cover everyday necessities while supporting businesses in their communities, Stokes told KLIN News. “Yeah, that’s direct money back into their bank accounts to help pay for basic expenses like food, housing, child care, et cetera, that they need. And it also helps give money back into the local economy.”
Volunteers do not need previous tax preparation experience. Stokes said the program provides online instruction and helps volunteers prepare for required IRS certifications. “Yeah, we have a great online self-paced training program, and people do not have to have tax experience to go through this. We teach everything.”
Prospective tax preparers should expect about 20 hours of training, while intake specialists need about five to 10 hours. Intake volunteers greet clients, help them complete forms and keep sites running efficiently. The program also needs interpreters to assist clients whose first language is not English.
Once certified, volunteers can choose how many hours they contribute. Stokes said the program offers tax services seven days a week during the season and has opportunities for people who cannot help at a site. “So if they can’t be in person, we also have remote volunteer roles that people can do from their own home.”
The program plans eight locations throughout Lincoln, with site details expected to be posted on its website by the end of December. The first site will open Jan. 30, 2027, and services will run through April 15.
People interested in volunteering can sign up at tcan.unl.edu. Online training is available now, and Stokes said certification exams will become available at the end of November.