Tax Preparation

Prepare Tax Returns * CPE Eligible * Remote or In-Person

Community Tax Aid, Inc. (CTA) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that provides free tax preparation services for low- and moderate-income individuals and families in New York City. We are the oldest FREE tax preparation service in the country. Since our formation in 1969, CTA has prepared well over 100 thousand tax returns.

We are different from other free tax prep organizations in that our training (when accompanied with volunteer tax preparation) qualifies for CPE credit for CPAs - a definite benefit for the volunteer.

However, regardless of your tax preparation experience or occupation, you can volunteer and train with CTA to learn tax preparation. CTA will provide free comprehensive basic and advanced tax training to all volunteers in a classroom setting led by highly qualified instructors. Your fellow volunteers will be accountants, lawyers, other professionals, and students.

Volunteering with CTA benefits our volunteers whether you’re a CPA, working professional, retiree, or a student.

• • Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits for eligible volunteers
  • Feel GREAT about helping deserving members of your community
  • Network with your peers and other professionals
  • Free comprehensive basic and advanced tax prep training to sharpen your tax skills for all volunteers
  • Training is classroom-based, interactive & led by highly qualified instructors
  • CTA provides preparation of more forms than VITA and other IRS supported free preparation sites and is available to clients year round.
  • Significantly enhance your resume or graduate school application
  • Develop a highly marketable skill set & get meaningful, hands-on experience
  • Hours are flexible. Remote and in-person opportunities are available.

Since we are an independent organization unaffiliated with the IRS, (along with offering eligible volunteers CPE credit) we can help taxpayers in ways many other free tax preparation services are prohibited from doing. Our independence allows us to work more personally with our clients and with significantly greater flexibility to meet their needs, year-round. We work with our clients after their returns are submitted, advocate for our clients to the IRS when necessary, and assist them on a customized basis throughout the calendar year as needed.

CTA has been honored by many mayors’ offices and newspapers, and our volunteers have served on the IRS Advisory Commission. As the oldest free tax preparation service in the US, CTA has been a model for similar programs around the nation.

Volunteering with CTA benefits you while you give back to your community in a way that offers immediate gratitude and heartfelt appreciation from those you help. With CTA, you will go home feeling great about the work you've done and the people you've helped.